Just A Story
by cici.mel1978
Summary: The teenage mutant ninja turtles have saved the world, and now things are kinda...boring. At least to Raph's standards. Besides from the Purple Dragons and your regular crime things seem quiet. Especially after saving the world. But after finding an actual human Irma things appear to be crazy again. ( Eventual [Raph/Casey] )
1. Anger Makes You do Dumb Things

**Disclaimer** : I do not own TMNT or anything to do with TMNT.

 **Author's note** : I want to thank those who have helped me with this chapter and have also been helpful in giving me critiques. I also would like to thank my reviewers. And a big thank you to the wonderful beta roxygoth.

This story is based primarily in 2012 TMNT though there will be other elements of different TMNT universes found throughout.

 **Warning** :

This story contains Raph/Casey, a slash or male love pairing. If that's not your cup of tea, I recommend not reading the story.

 **This is a rewrite of Chapter 1 "Just A Story" .**

* * *

Raph's eyes narrowed, the grip on his weapon tightening. His enemy was only a few inches away.

"Calm yourself, Raphael..." Master Splinter's voice entered his mind.

He took a deep breath before driving his weapon down with a long exhale. His eyes flashed white with fury as the sound of metal clinked against metal. With gritted teeth, he steadied his hand. A triumphant smirk crossed his face. "It's just you…and me."

"Raph!"

He jumped, and the chair hit the floor with a loud thud. He closed his eyes a moment before looking down at the table and slowly opening them. The instant he saw the noodles he was aiming for, he groaned inwardly.

"Mikey…" his tone was low and menacing as the fork dropped from his hand. His fingers grasped for a shuriken at his belt, throwing it before sparing a glance towards the door.

"Ya don't see me eatin' here?" Raph snapped at his baby brother whose head was slowly coming back up from its shell.

"I just had a question," Mikey whined with his bottom lip poking out.

He rolled his eyes at Mikey before leaning over to pick the chair and fork back up off the floor.

"Whattya want Mikey?" Raph folded his muscular arms across his plastron before leaning against the kitchen table with his eyes back on the orange-masked turtle.

"I um…" Mikey tapped his chin, his words trailing off nearly making Raph roll his eyes for a second time.

"Lemme guess, ya forgot," he snorted while Mikey kept tapping his chin before pointing towards the bowl on the table. "Are you gonna eat that?"

"Well...I was," he dropped the fork back on the table. "But then someone," his eyes landing right on his baby brother, "decided to yell my name like an idiot."

"So..." Mikey drew out the word. "That's a no?"

"Go ahead, ding dong" he mumbled before Mikey jumped with a fist pump.

"YES!" Mikey laughed, first going over to the fridge and pulling out a few containers. Mikey opened one, and the stench hit Raph's nose making him grimace. Mikey only shrugged after sniffing it, putting it on the table along with more jars and containers.

"I'm scared to ask. But what ya doin'?"

"Just gonna spice it up a bit." Mikey's brow ridges furrowed with a tongue hanging out before he started pouring various items into the bowl. Raph felt his stomach starting to turn, almost preferring the stench of the sewer to whatever shorter turtle was concocting.

"What is that?" Raph's mouth gaped open while pointing to an open container full of some lumpy green food. He made a face at the fur on it.

"Um…" Mikey dipped a lone finger into the container and bought the chunk to his mouth. Raph's stomach turned as his brother sucked on the finger. Mikey let out a loud bleh before shrugging and eating the rest.

"I think it was eggs." Mikey turned towards him as Raph brought a hand to his mouth swallowing back bile.

"Aw, I ate it all." Mikey pouted at the empty container before getting up to get a spoon and started stirring the mixture before pausing. "Want some? I mean, I guess I sorta did keep ya from ya food."

Raph's eyes went to the odd color mixture in the bowl. He spied a few pieces of pepperoni floating around and quickly shook his head.

"Nah, I'm good," he moved from the table standing while Mikey sat eating the stuff. Mikey was always creative in the kitchen, and sometimes he could make stuff that sounded wrong but tasted great. Then other times it went like this.

"Yo losh bruh," Mikey tried speaking with a mouth full of food before grinning at him with stained teeth. Raph couldn't pick apart the freckles on Mikey's face from the crumbs.

"Whatever." Raph stretched out his arms before dropping them to his sides. "Ya remember what ya wanted yet? If not, I need to go feed Chompy" he watched Mikey turn up the bowl, slurping away at the contents before pausing and slowly bringing the bowl back down.

"Wait!"

"Yeah?"

"You know that thing you found in the dump when we went last week. Mind if I go to your room and borrow it?" Mikey put his hands together. "Pwetty pwease with sugar on top Raphie?"

Raph took one long look at his brother after he heard the old nickname before snorting, "Nope." He turned to leave; there was no way he was falling for that.

"But Raph!" Mikey whimpered with a few sniffles.

"Not happenin'," he kept on walking.

"Did I tell you that you're my favorite older brother?" Mikey's voice was back to normal, and Raph held back a laugh.

"Ya other choices are Fearless or Brainiac. Course I'm ya favorite." Raph smirked a bit with a teasing tone. "But still ain't gonna happen."

"Why not?" Mikey shrieked.

"Sides ya breakin' damn near everything ya touch?"

"I don't break everything" Mikey huffed. "And it's not my fault! You guys know not to leave me alone with stuff that says 'Do Not Touch!' And red buttons don't count. Everyone pushes the red button. Can't I just borrow something else from your room then?"

Raph turned around quickly to look at Mikey. "Hell. No."

He could already picture his brother's hands on his comics and then he'd have to deal with pizza stains and grease all over his pages making it hard to read. Again.

"But Master Splinter says sharing is caring..."Mikey crossed his arms over his plastron with a pointed look at Raph.

Raph gave Mikey his own look, "First off, Dad never says that. And second…" he was barely holding back his temper as his brother shrunk in the chair.

Mikey slowly started to straighten in the chair as Raph held a glare but stayed silent. "Second?"

"Stay out my damn room!" he snapped.

"I won't even be in there long!" Mikey yelled back with a huff. "Just in and out. You won't even know I've been there."

Raph snorted. "Yeah I will. Cuz every time ya go in my room, ya break somethin'."

Mikey's leg started to bounce. "Well, can ya least not go to ya room right now?"

Raph's eyes narrowed. "Why?" the word came out slowly.

"Just asking," Mikey squeaked out before clearing his throat. "I mean...Chompy probably isn't that hungry. And why even go to your room right now? Rooms are like you know those silly places you go at night. Or maybe like...um not go back into for the next maybe hour?" Mikey slowly rose from the chair and started to go towards the kitchen exit.

"Mikey…" Raph's eyes followed his retreating brother. "What did ya do?"

"Who said I did anything?" Mikey gave a laugh, eyes darting around the room.

Raph started walking slowly towards him, "You got two seconds to start talkin' or…" he paused with a wicked grin, watching his baby brother back away as he cracked his knuckles, "I beat the green off ya."

"I um…" Mikey took a quick glance at the door. "Might have already been in there? And…" he took another step back as Raph's eye ridge rose as the orange-masked turtle squeaked. "Maybe dropped your ninja figurine?"

"Ya…" Raph stayed quiet a long moment. "Hold up, lemme get this right. First, ya go in my room without askin..."

"Um...yeah?" Mikey continued to back up, but Raph kept coming closer.

"And then…" Raph drummed his fingers along the counter as he moved and pondered all the ways he could knock sense into his baby brother. "Ya start messin' with my stuff…"

"I wasn't messing with it." Mikey's eyes shifted quickly towards the doorway before back at Raph. "I was just holding it," he paused while trailing off. "In a creative way?"

"Oh a'ight." Raph stopped while making sure not to show anything on his face, and Mikey rose a brow ridge at him.

"So you're not mad?"

"Nope," Raph emphasized the p. He gave his baby brother a smile before suddenly dropping it then lunging forward."I'M PISSED!"

"I didn't mean to," Mikey cried out and dodged from him before running jumping over the counter. Raph followed, dishes were knocked over and crashed to the floor as Mikey slid under the table then sprinted out the kitchen.

Raph could feel his irritation grow as he tried catching up. "Ya know how long it took me to get that?".He charged at Mikey before feeling a hand on his shoulder. He turned and threw a punch which landed on nothing but air while only seeing a brief glimpse the blue tails of a mask.

"What the fuck ya want Leo?" Raph turned around quickly, his voice not losing its volume. He could no longer hear Mikey's footsteps as he stared down his older brother.

"Just keep breathing and calm down. Whatever it is, I doubt it's that serious."

"That's easy for you to say" Raph snorted with his eyes narrowing at his older brother.

Leo let out a deep sigh while rolling his eyes. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"That it ain't your room" Raph gritted his teeth with a growl behind his tone.

"I still say it's not a huge deal." Leo's brow ridge slightly rose while keeping a hand on Raph's shoulder.

"A'ight, Leo. You tell me where I'm gonna find another modern ninja collectible," Raph shook Leo's grip off him. He was trying to reign in his temper, but hearing Leo tell him to do it wasn't helping.

"I'll fix it!" came a yell from another part of the lair.

"How?" Raph yelled back.

"I'm gonna ask D." Mikey exclaimed, and Raph could picture the huge grin on Mikey's face "No worries, bro!"

Raph took in a long breath before he exhaled. He'd give his baby brother a few hours, but if his stuff wasn't fixed by the time he went in his room, Mikey was meeting Mr. Fist.

"You know how Mikey is, Raph." Leo sighed. "It's like Master Splinter always says 'you should not let your anger take hold of you and instead must let it fall off like water. Besides you could just get another."

"I got lucky findin' one the first time!" He threw his hands in the air. "And if it was that easy, don't ya think I'd have more than one?"

"Then maybe Casey or April won't mind getting another for you. Just give one of them the money, and I'm sure they can pick it up."

"Really Leo?" Raph faked a gasped. "Damn, I shoulda thought of that." He facepalmed himself before holding up a finger. "Oh, but wait. Just one problem..." Raph quickly pointed to the lair's exit while barely controlling his temper. "We live in a fuckin' sewer, Leo! Where the hell would I get the money?"

"You could do what Don does?"

"Not happenin'. There ain't no way I'm swimmin' in shit just to find a few quarters."

Leo sighed. "My point is Raph...it's an object. Objects can be replaced."

"Uh huh, I'll remember that the next time he uses ya Space whatever comics for his drawings when he runs out of paper." Raph gave Leo a cocky smile while Leo's eye started to twitch, finding a way to get under Leo's skin never got old.

"Regardless…" He could hear the slight annoyance in Leo's voice. "Try not to let it get to you. I know you're bored around here. But taking it out on Mikey won't make you feel better."

"Yes, mom," Raph snorted while ignoring the look Leo threw him. "Anythin' else or ya wanna tell me how to tie my mask too?"

"Just remember we have patrol," Leo groaned, before throwing up his arms.

The corners of Raph's lips threatened to twitch upward, "Whatever ya say Fearless." he brushed past his brother, glad that the lecture was over. He was still annoyed, and like always Splinter Jr was pushing it. At least Mikey had the sense to take his figurine to Don. His Brainiac little brother could fix anything.

"And by the way, I wouldn't use a slip knot," Leo smirked, and Raph rolled his eyes.

He made his way to his favorite spot and plopped down onto a bean bag only to see "Space Heroes" in bold letters appear on the tv screen. He didn't understand Leo's fascination with this damn show. With a click of a button, the channel changed, and the image of an alligator taking out a deer became front and center.

"Raph...," Leo said while Raph turned up the volume to bother his brother more. "Raphael!"

Raph held back a laugh. Was he being petty? Maybe. Was he going to stop teasing his big brother? Not in this lifetime. He let his finger hover over the volume button, "Ya said somethin' Fearless? Ya gotta speak up" he smirked and turned it up even louder.

"I was watching that!" Leo shrieked, but Raph had already lost interest as he started flipping channels and didn't bother with a response.

"RAPH!"

"Calm down bro. It ain't that serious," Raph mimicked the words from earlier and felt some satisfaction at the sound of a low growl behind him. Putting his arms behind his head, he dropped the remote on the seat of the chair beside him. He tried to settle back, hoping the tension would leave his body.

"Real mature..." Leo muttered.

Raph snorted, his eyes staying on the TV before suddenly the channel changed and "Space Heroes" was staring back at him.

"What th- What ya do that for!?" Raph glared at Leo after jumping to his feet. His eyes went to his brother's hand, spotting the remote.

" .Back," Raph's words were slow but harsh. He stepped forward with transparent lids slowly covering his green irises.

"It's just a stupid remote," Leo sighed, only irking him further. "So relax…"

"Here's a plan," Raph came closer. "Why don't you stop tellin' me what to do," he hissed before lunging towards Leo, missing his brother's sidestep and sliding into the television.

"Not my baby!"

Raph blinked a few times, his eyes back to normal before standing up. He looked towards Mikey who reappeared and looked at the broken television on the floor like he lost his best friend.

"Stupid TV." He muttered before kicking the pieces with a frustrated growl before Mikey ran over, picking up the pieces.

"No Raph, you're hurting it more," Mikey cried out, throwing a glare at him before starting to pick up the broken pieces. "Shhh...It'll be okay. D will fix you. And then we'll be playing the new MMO again. You'll like that, won't you?"

Raph rose a brow ridge while looking over at his younger brother trying to decide if he should bother with a joke.

"Great job Raph. Now we even have more stuff to do."

Hearing Leo, his head snapped from the scene to his oldest brother. "Ya blamin' me for this?" Raph's eyes narrowed.

"If you would have just controlled your temper..," Leo's voice stayed calm, and Raph eyes were almost slits. He couldn't take Leo's high and mighty attitude right now.

"You're the one took the remote," he yelled, his blood starting to boil. He stomped towards his brother, not bothering with silent steps.

"I had it first, and I was already there."

"Well, I ain't see ya!"

"Maybe if you weren't so busy chasing Mikey that wouldn't be the case." Leo shook his head a moment. "If you would just take a moment and stop being so impulsive and hothea-"

Before he could think, Raph's fist shot straight out hitting Leo square in the jaw making his brother stumble back against the wall and to the floor.

Leo blinked a few times, lifting himself up while Raph's chest was heaving with his fist still balled up. The phone rang with Casey's ringtone blaring through the silence. Raph tore his eyes from Leo to glance down at his phone while ignoring the throb of his knuckles.

"Raph," Mikey gasped, and he looked to see his freckle-faced younger brother helping Leo up.

"I'm fine Mikey." Leo gave Mikey a smile before the orange-masked turtle engulfed him in a hug.

Raph watched the scene playing out in front of him unsure what to do. He looked down with his fists clenching tighter as guilt started to bite at him. Without another word he quickly turned on his heel to leave, he needed to get out of here.


	2. Best Friend Talks

**Disclaimer** : I do not own TMNT or anything to do with TMNT.

 **Author's note** : For anyone noticing, these chapters are getting a serious rewrite! I haven't forgotten Chapter 11. Chapter 11 will be posted as soon as I update each of the chapters that have already been published. And after it's been looked over. So a big thank you to everyone helping me and my beta roxygoth.

Please remember that this story is based primarily in 2012 TMNT though there will be other elements of different TMNT universes found throughout. This means that you might see some 2003 TMNT stuff, some 2014 TMNT movie stuff and you might even see stuff from the comics. And these are just a few examples.

 **To SuperNovaWolf:** Yes Raph is super grumpy and stir crazy, though I've rewritten Chapter 1. This fact has not changed lol

 **To Guest:** I heard you loud and clear on Chapter 1 and even got a critique on Chapter 1's ending. So thank you for giving me the push to make this story better.

If you reviewed other chapters, don't think I forgot you! I haven't! I thank you as well. To those just enjoying the story, I'm glad you are.

 **Warning** :

This story contains Raph/Casey, a slash or male love pairing. If that's not your cup of tea, I recommend not reading the story. So if you don't like guys that get with guys, you probably won't like this one. Though there are other elements to the story, and there are other pairings. It's Raph's p.o.v so Casey/Raph will be more in your face.

 **This is a rewrite of Chapter 2 "Just A Story".**

* * *

"A'ight, run that by me again." Casey said.

Raph watched the corners of his best friend's lips turn upward before rolling his eyes at the dark haired teen. He let his legs hang over the edge of the roof's ledge while Casey lined up his hockey stick with another puck. He nearly moved one leg up before wincing as pain shot through it, reminding him of his recent fight.

"So ya can laugh some more? Hell no!" He chuckled, bringing the bottle to his lips with his good arm while ignoring the pain in the other. He took a long gulp then emptied the bottle before tossing it away and watching a hockey puck fly past him, straight toward it. The hockey puck hit it dead center, smashing it into pieces that rained down to the ground below. Hopefully, no one was down there.

"Aw, come on." Casey laughed, "Ya gotta admit it's funny. I can see it in headlines now…" He smirked in Raph's direction while bringing his hands up like he was holding a sign. "The Mighty Ninja Turtle Raphael facing the Undefeated Noodles of War."

"Fuck you, bonehead," his lips twitched upward before grabbing two bottles. "No one asked ya opinion anyway."

"Yeah, ya right," Casey let out a long sigh. "It's not as if you guys been trainin' since diapers." He twirled a hockey stick in one hand. "Wait a minute!" He let out a gasp as his eyes went wide.

Raph pushed himself up with his good arm while ignoring the pain that shot up and through his leg as he walked over with two bottles of beer under one arm before slugging Casey in the arm,"Shuddup," he laughed before passing Casey a beer.

"Violent ass!" Casey flinched seconds too late with mock horror written on his face. "Didn't ya pops ever teach ya to mind ya temper?" Casey's fingers wagged at him with a growing smirk. "Tsk, tsk, tsk Raphie," he chuckled before using his teeth against the lid and Raph felt the urge to kill Mikey all over again for letting that damn nickname slip.

"Keep jokin', Jones. Ya gonna give ya'self another gap." Raph smirked before the image of Leo's shell hitting the wall flashed through his mind. He looked over the city's horizon. The chilly night air wasn't bothering him much as his eyes spied the many lights of New York City.

"So…," Casey trailed off, "Ya gonna talk to me or ya makin' a mental postcard?"

"Missin' my voice Case?" Raph forced a smirk, turning his head in Casey's direction before looking back over the city; the throb in his shoulder ached as his fingers ghosted over a large bruise forming.

"Hurts?"

He didn't miss the concern in his best friend's voice, not wanting to shrug as the pain was ebbing away. Slowly, he rolled his shoulder; the cold air felt soothing on his skin.

"Nothin' I can't handle." He chuckled as he glanced back in Casey's direction.

"If Don sees it, ya know he's gonna flip," Casey snickered as Raph shuddered at what the Genius scientist might do just to keep him in bed. "Though…" Casey paused, tossing the bottle up and down, "With the way ya made that goon's face hit the pavement...Pretty sure he worse off."

"The punk tried to take out my leg and my arm. He's lucky it's just his jaw I took out." Raph snorted, feeling his temper rise at the memory. "And ya heard what he said!" His eyes narrowed, his grip tightened around the bottle, then he heard the sound of broken glass as he looked down at his hand.

"Did." Casey nodded as he took Raph's hand into his,unraveling the bandages then turning over his palm to look at it. He poured the contents of the rest of his bottle over it as Raph hissed.

"What else I was supposed to do?" Raph watched Casey reach into his pocket, pulling out some tweezers. He could feel slight tugging at his skin before Casey dropped his hand, then tore at his own shirt with his teeth.

"Good job Jones. Now, ya gonna get a cold." Raph smirked slightly as Casey gave a small smile, his hand grabbing Raph's again as he wrapped it in the torn cloth.

"So beer and ya sweaty shirt? Ya a regular MD." Raph flexed his hand a few times once Casey was done.

He gasped while putting a hand to his chest, "Damn, that almost hurt my one feelin'." Casey chuckled a moment before shaking his head.

"So what should I have done genius? Let him go?" Raph's brow ridge quirked upward as he crossed his arms over his plastron.

"Nah, ain't sayin' that," Casey snorted as he leaned down for another beer, "I just know when somethin's up with you." He gestured towards him, opening the beer with his teeth afterwards.

"Mad I got him first?" Raph smirked and pulled out a sai, using it to open the bottle. He could practically hear Leo yell at him about improper weapon usage as he took a few gulps.

"Mebbe a little," Casey smirked back, "And ya suck at tryin' to avoid the subject."

Raph rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh," Just shit at home," he mumbled as he replaced the sai back on his belt.

"You and Leo at it again?"

"Do ya gotta say it like that?" He murmured as he brought the beer back to his lips again, the liquid giving him a warm feeling as it settled inside of his stomach.

"Nah" Casey smirked as he put down his bottle, and moved his hands to Raph's cheeks."But ya look so cute when ya mad." The baby tone as he pinched them made Raph's eye twitch as he swatted at his best friend's hands.

"Whatever skull brain."

Casey let out a chuckle before plopping down. Raph took a seat next to him, His tongue brushed over his lips as his hands reached for another beer.

"I dunno. Leo just...," Raph held the bottle in his hands, sighing as he put it down. "I was already in a bad mood. Then he starts spoutin' that fortune cookie bullshit while lecturin' me," His eyes narrowed and he leaned back, "I just lost it," he mumbled before picking the beer back up. "He hit the wall... hard."

"And…" Casey slurred the word before laughing. "How this new bro?"

"I dunno!" Raph shrugged at him,wincing before slowly exhaling, feeling the pain lessen to a dull throb soon after.. "Just ain't in the mood lately. And Mikey don't help when he's breakin' my shit and going in my room without askin'," he shook his head, rolling his eyes before muttering. "Leo says I'm bored...'"

Casey pulled off the hockey mask from the top of his head, dropping it to the floor before leaning back,"Guess it is kinda hard to top savin' the world. Then again I am Casey Jones," He wore a smug grin as he reached over for another beer.

Raph gave his friend a look then took a long swig. "Whateva ya say, Arnold," He smirked, watching Casey grimace as he said the dark haired teen's first name before slowly changing as Casey's eyes went wide and he jumped up.

"Bro! What if someone heard ya?" Casey's eyes darted around quickly, throwing Raph a glare before slowly sitting back down.

"Yeah, cuz Hun suddenly give a damn what name to call ya." Raph let out a loud laugh, his hand slapping Casey's back, "Ya gonna be hockey boy forever man," He grinned at his best friend, expecting the same. Instead, he stiffened under his hand, muscles rigid, with a low growl.

Raph let his hand stay on Casey's back before traveling up to his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. He chewed on his bottom lip, feeling unsure. He imagined what his dad might do as he tried to speak in what he hoped was a soothing voice, "They ain't nothin' to worry about," His eyes stayed on Casey as he heard a deep exhale and he relaxed.

"Just his whole gang…," His words were quiet and dripped with venom, "Sick of 'em. Fuckin' purple dragons," he shook his head with a look of disgust, "Can ya believe them punks? I mean that couple had to be what... like 80?"

"Maybe..., " Raph didn't have a clue. He was more concerned about the shaking boy that was next to him with fire behind his dark eyes.

"Hate 'em. I'll kill them before they hurt another person…"

The darkness in his tone sent a shiver down Raph's spine, along with the unfocused gaze. "Case!" his hand shot out and stopped right at the boy's cheek. He didn't want to be like Casey's father. His hands gripped both of the dark haired teen's shoulders as Raph ignored the growing pain in his own shoulder and shook him. "Casey!"

He blinked and Raph let out a breath of relief at the dark eyes peering out behind skull face paint, "My bad...Guess I just got caught up in some memories." He ran a hand through his messy dark hair, looking away quickly.

"Ya know if ya wanna talk bout it…," Raph trailed off with his eyes still on Casey. He knew most of his best friend's past but some stuff was still behind lock and key.

"One day...," Casey said softly, and Raph nodded in understanding that Casey would tell him in his own time. He heard dogs barking and car horns blaring in the distance; silence loomed between them. The cold started to get to him a bit as his eyes went to the spot where they had gone against a few of the Purple Dragon's gang. The memory was still as fresh and raw as the pain in his leg and shoulder. It filled his mind as the present faded away.

 _He had answered Casey's phone call as soon as he was out of the lair. He didn't need to look at the clock to know that it was evening. He went through the tunnels with ease and swiftness, even as his rage took over and his guilt ate at him._

 _Breathing in the fresh air once he reached topside, he cleared his nostrils of the sewer stench below while hoping for something to happen. The moment that he hit the roofs, he was running, trying to enjoy the wind against his heated skin._

 _He had_ arrived to _their meeting spot of the day, spotting a group of goons not too far off with their trademark purple dragon tattoos. A wicked smirk crossed his face as he took off in that direction. He stayed above, slipping in and out the shadows as necessary. He had a new appreciation for these idiots timing._

 _Once he got close, he skidded to a stop. His mouth gaped open at the sight before him. The dragons were drinking, tons of beer was off to the side with an elderly couple not far off, lying motionless on the ground. The smell of smoke and beer was thick in the air, the smell was nothing new as he thought back to Casey's home._

 _He kept quiet and close to the wall, their sounds of laughter slicing through the quiet night. "Drunk bastards...," his words were a whispered growl as he watched. A few moved unsteadily, some wavered only slightly on their feet while others hooped and hollered around one with spiky red hair. He was holding up a wallet while laughing._

 _"Looks like we hit the jackpot boys!" The redhead pulled out a stack of bills as Raph's now white eyes narrowed. "Whattya think, Cutter?" His grin became wider as he rubbed at a nose that was too large for his thin face._

 _"Only thing matters is what Hun thinks, though seein' this haul oughta put a smile even on his face...," A large one snorted. His tattoo covered half of his face as he moved in smooth strides. The group surrounding the_ red head _parted as he moved through, grabbing the wallet out of the other's hands, "Word is some guy is buyin' up all them anti-mutant weapons. We need to outbuy 'em."_

 _"What bout them?" The_ red head _tapped a spiked boot against the side of the elderly man's head and Raph continued to lose patience. He looked around, trying to spot the hockey mask wearing teen but to no avail._

 _"We leavin' em?" The guy spit in a corner as Cutter came closer, but the red head tried to stand taller, not even reaching the large one's shoulders. His chest was puffed out, and Raph snorted. They looked the same age. The teen reached down and picked up a large pipe, letting it hang over his shoulder._

 _Cutter barely spared a glance in their direction._

 _"Get rid of 'em. No witnesses."_

 _"Works for me!" The teen laughed, balancing the pipe in his hands a moment as he let it hit the palm of his other hand. Raph shook his head, hands automatically going to his shuriken. He couldn't wait for Casey anymore. The teen swung the pipe upward as Raph went to throw his weapon._

 _"Yo!"_

 _His hand froze, eyes peering through the darkness as he saw a shadowy figure come closer. The guys turned towards the voice coming down the alley. Their boots crunched on the gritty pavement as a foot kicked a soda can._

 _"Ain't y'all got better shit to do than pick on folks grandparents?" The teen pulled a goalie's hockey mask over a face that was covered in black and white facepaint, reminiscent of a skull. He stopped in front of them, his lanky appearance seemed_ non threatening _, but Raph only smirked._

 _"Ain't that the vigilante kid?"_

 _Murmurs and shouts reverberated through the alley as a shout was heard above the rest. "Get him!"_

 _One lunged, bottle in hand, before crashing it_ against _the wall. The alcohol smeared over the graffiti covering the wall as glass shattered to the ground. Raph snarled as the man swung at Casey with the broken bottle, running forward without a second thought._

 _He kicked one out the way before punching another. His head soon collided with the idiot in his sights as he dropped to the ground. He glanced back at Casey; the boy was holding a bat in one hand and a hockey stick in another as he looked between the two._

 _"Why ya just standin' there?" Raph's eyes narrowed, tripping one_ goon _and dodging another as he kept Casey from becoming their personal pinata. "Are ya_ tryin _to let 'em kill ya?" He looked back at him, a hand gripping a purple dragon's arm as he twisted it before bashing them against a wall._

 _"I couldn't decide between the bat or the golf club…," Casey shrugged as he slid the bat behind him while Raph considered hitting his best friend with it._

 _"Casey!" He ducked under a swing to his jaw, grabbing them before a knee to the gut._

 _"It's a hard decision! " Casey yelled back with a laugh, lifting his feet as skates popped out, before zooming forward. His hockey stick slammed into two goons and knocked one off of their feet as Raph pushed another right into the line-up._

 _"Next time…," Raph grunted, moving quickly before the next hit came and he countered it. " I'll let 'em kill ya ass."_

 _"If I ain't knew any better I'd think you love me Raphie," Casey dodged another hit then gave him a wink._

 _His cheeks started heating up, and he quickly showed Casey a middle finger while grumbling under his breath at how much a bonehead Casey was. It wasn't the first time Casey did that, he'd come to expect the playful flirting._

 _With each hit, his grin widened. The rush fueled him as bodies littered the ground. Fighting with Casey wasn't like fighting alongside his brothers. It wasn't the same high. The same rush. It just wasn't the same._

 _"So how's my sidekick doin'? " Casey yelled. His movements were rough. Heavy. Master Splinter and Leo would cringe at the lack of disciplined movements._

 _Raph twirled his sais in his hands as he spared a glance to Casey with a raised brow ridge . "Who ya callin' sidekick Jones!" He laughed before seeing Casey's eyes widen. He looked back quickly but not before catching a lead pipe to his shoulder, making him wince. His hand flew to his injured shoulder before glaring at the teen in front of him._

 _"Raph!"_

 _He heard Casey's cry as he saw the pipe coming at him again. He tried moving, gritting his teeth as it smashed against his leg. Pain shot through him, bringing him to his knees as he dropped one of his sais. The pain stabbed like shards of glass as he tried getting back up to his feet. He kept a firm grip on one_ sai _while eyeing the other that was not far off._

 _"Ain't you one of them turtle freaks?" He laughed, head cocked to the side while bringing the pipe over his shoulder, "Bet Hun will love if I bring you in."_

 _"Fuck. you," Raph growled through clenched teeth, keeping a sharp eye on the_ sai _while plotting his way to it._

 _"Ain't three more of ya?"_

 _The question sent chills through him. His chest felt heavy as he tried to breathe,grisly images flashed through his mind._

 _"Nothin' to say? That's cool. Cuz once I'm through with you," he sneered, moving closer to where Raph stood. His face came closer as his voice dropped to a whisper, "We can go take care of the other three."_

 _His eyes narrowed as he lunged forward, no longer caring about the pipe or much else as he tackled the guy to the ground. His hands curled into fists, not feeling the hits at him as he started punching mercilessly at the boy's face._

 _Raph got up, lifting the teen up with him before kicking him in the jaw. A sickening crack was heard before the teen was slammed against the_ wall; and _Raph watched him crumple to the floor. He breathed heavy then stormed forward as he grabbed the guy by the collar._

 _His face was bloody and no longer recognizable as the teen's mouth hung open. His eyes were shut as far as Raph could tell but, he leaned in close to his ear._

 _"Never...Threaten...My...Brothers," he carelessly dropped him, letting his body litter the alley with the rest of his friends._

 _He walked away from the spot, seeing Casey's fist_ shoot out _and the guy going down with a thud. The hockey mask slid up, back on top of messy dark hair as his best friend's eyes found his. Casey slowly went over to him._

 _"Ya straight?"_

 _Raph merely nodded, shaking with renewed anger as he tried taking deep breaths. The sound of footsteps made his eyes turn to the entrance of the alley and he noticed more members pouring in._

 _"Oh look...more toys to play with," Casey smirked as he pulled his mask back down. "And it ain't even Christmas," Casey's chuckle was dark as his own mingled in. "Ready sidekick?"_

 _"You the sidekick" Raph cracked his knuckles before charging at them. He unleashed his anger, letting it fuel every punch and kick as they made short work of the remaining members in the alley. He looked around for more, feeling a bit of disappointment before a groan reached his ears. He glanced in the direction of the couple._

 _They were starting to stir. He watched the man begin to lift himself up, and Raph glanced at Casey, nodding in the other teen's direction before disappearing into the shadows._

 _He quickly made his way to the roof, exhaling in relief before crouching on the ledge with a grin on his face. The rush was incredible as it coursed through his veins. He looked down at Casey who was helping the couple to their feet. They seemed shaky but fine._

 _Raph's eyes looked around, wondering where the wallet had gone before he saw Casey pick it up. The couple's money had scattered on the ground, but Casey was picking it up. He saw the smile light up on the woman's face, and Raph swelled with pride._

 _He did like helping people. It was his city, and letting these criminals have it wasn't an option. It was one of the biggest reasons that he and his brothers went out; the reason why he and Casey went out._

 _His lips started to curl into a smile before he saw the_ hug _that Casey received. The woman's smile had gotten bigger, if possible. The man grabbed Casey's hand to shake it. He could see the three laughing and the grateful expression on the couple's face. There was just one problem._

 _It was all aimed at Casey._

 _He swallowed as the high lessened,only leaving him with the throbbing pain in his shoulder and that familiar feeling that twisted his insides. He clenched his fists as he watched the happiness radiate from them with only his memories to keep him company._

 _Memories of every time the people that they rescued would scream for help…_

 _From him._

 _He tore his eyes from the scene and plopped down. "Ain't like it matters," he muttered to himself as that feeling twisted his stomach more._

 _"Yo Raph! Look what I got" came a laugh from below._

 _He rolled his eyes before looking down to see Casey scaling up the building with a large case of beer in one hand. He was impressed that Casey managed to get up there as he smirked at the dark haired teen._

 _"Havin' problems princess?" Raph chuckled while hearing a snort as the teen pulled himself up. He grunted before finally making his way up, dusting himself off before looking at Raph._

 _"Want some?" Casey gave Raph a gap-toothed grin as Raph moved past him to grab a beer as Casey grabbed another.._

 _"How about a toast?"_

 _"A toast?" Raph looked at Casey like he'd grown a second head. "Swear every time ya come back from ya hockey games ya get weirder and weirder Jones. Ya hit the wall again or_ somethin _?"_

 _"Fuck you shell-brain," Casey laughed, "Just humor me."_

 _"A'ight...but to what?"_

 _"How bout…," Casey drummed his fingers against the wall before grinning again, "The fact that I got 7, and you only got 6?"_

 _"Knockin' out some drunk assholes don't make ya good," Raph chuckled while bringing the beer to his lips, taking off the lid with his teeth._

 _"Now ya just sound like a sore loser. You pick then."_

 _Raph thought about it. He could toast to family, but one glance a Casey made him rethink it. He thought longer before clinking his bottle to Casey's, "To bustin' heads."_

 _"Aww, Raphie, I missed ya too," Casey snickered as Raph eyed him. The heat on his cheeks rose, but he tried ignoring it._

 _"Ya wanna black eye, Jones?" Raph glared, but Casey only laughed._

"Bro!"

Raph snapped out of it and looked over at Casey. The memory was fading away to the background of his mind.

"Damn. If mentionin' that dude makes ya think that deep. I ain't doin' it again."

"It's cool man…"

"Ya sure? Cuz honestly I thought I'd have to call Don," Casey gave a dramatic shudder, "I know he pissed ya off though, I thought you were gonna kill him for a second."

"Was…," he admitted. He hadn't had a good fight like today since Casey left for his hockey match. It left him tense and on edge and patrolling with his brothers didn't help. Leo would give out a million rules along with the other million rules that their dad had already given them.

Raph could come up with a million reasons for the reason that some people needed the shit beat out of them. Every one didn't go by the rules and sometimes you needed to bend them a bit. Leo would disagree, disapprove and probably some other d-word.

"He did threaten ya brothers..."

"But I ain't a killer."

Killing in cold blood was something that his dad's rival Oroku Saki, the Shredder, would do. Temper or not, he swore that he'd never be that person. It still sickened him that he once had been under his mind control. It hadn't even been a day but watching your body move with no power over it wasn't something that he ever wanted to feel again. He closed his eyes, hoping to block out the images of what he could have done if Leo hadn't pissed him off so bad that he spit the worm up. Freeing him.

"I know man. Just sayin', I get it. If it was my little sister…," Casey took a deep breath and Raph looked over at his best friend. Casey slouched down with his head down.

"Ain't nothin' gonna happen to her, Case."

"Hope not.,"Casey mumbled. "Already lost enough…."

"What?"

"Nothin'." Casey shook his head and turned to face him, grinning from ear to ear. "We did good tonight."

The image of the couple with Casey flashed in his mind, and Raph shrugged before a sharp pain hit him. He held back from crying out; his rush was gone.

"Yeah," it came out more of a mumble than he meant it to, but that envious feeling was buried inside of him. If they had seen him, they would have run screaming. There wouldn't be hugs. No handshakes. Not even a thank you.

"Nah, Raph."

Casey grabbed him by the shoulders roughly, forcing him to face his best friend. Pain or not, he preferred that over a gentle nudge as he had no choice but to look in those dark eyes. He could feel a rush go through him .

"We did good," he paused before continuing, "You did good."

Raph took a good look at his best friend before lowering his eyes. He swallowed harshly before getting up to leave. His emotions were a whirlwind.

"I gotta g-"

His eyes widened as he felt two arms around him. He stayed stiffened before slowly relaxing. He could hear the cars below and the sirens that were a bit off. For him, Casey's heartbeat was the loudest even as the teen let him go. How did something so quick felt so long yet not long enough. Raph tried to brush off the feelings that were warring inside him.

"Feel bad for 'em, though." Casey chuckled with a playful look in his eyes. "They never get to meet ya ugly mug."

Raph snorted before pushing Casey, "Whatever, idiot" He turned to leave before hearing Casey again.

"Ya really gotta go?"

Raph looked back at Casey and nodded. He pulled out his t-phone, taking one quick look at the time seeing that it was still early in the night. If he hustled, he'd be in time for patrol and one less Leo lecture in his future.

"Fine, leave me. All alone. With no one," Casey sniffled, and Raph gave him a look.

"That shit might work if I saw some real tears."

"Damn, can't blame me for tryin" Casey smirked as he got up.

"Yo Case?"

"Yeah?" he looked back.

"Be careful."

"No worries. Now go ahead and rush home to ya bro so you can apologize like ya plan on doing" Casey smirked.

"How did you…"

"How many times I gotta tell ya. I'm Casey Jones."

Raph nearly opened his mouth to tell him how that explained nothing before closing it and shaking his head. "Whatever." he chuckled, leaving for the shadows with a new high.


	3. Green Eyed Monster

**Disclaimer** : I do not own TMNT or anything to do with TMNT.

 **Author's note** : The New Chapter is getting posted. Yay! So first a big thank you to everyone helping me and my beta roxygoth.

Please remember that this story is based primarily in 2012 TMNT though there will be other elements of different TMNT universes found throughout. This means that you might see some 2003 TMNT stuff, some 2014 TMNT movie stuff and you might even see stuff from the comics. And these are just a few examples.

 **To SuperNovaWolf:** Yeah, I know poor Raph. We should give him hugs because it would suck to have the people you save scared of you.

 **Xahraxs:** Continuing! And thank you for motivating me it means a lot.

Thank you to those enjoying the story. Please continue to review and comment. it means a lot. If you want, even send me a PM I don't mind at all. I even take story requests lol.

 **Warning** :

This story contains Raph/Casey, a slash or male love pairing. If that's not your cup of tea, I recommend not reading the story. So if you don't like guys that get with guys, you probably won't like this one. Though there are other elements to the story, and there are other pairings. It's Raph's p.o.v so Casey/Raph will be more in your face.

 **This is a rewrite of Chapter 3 "Just A Story".**

* * *

"Stupid hug..." Raph landed a sharp kick on the punching bag before a series of jabs that left him winded. The ache in his shoulder was no longer there, but after another weird night where Casey kept appearing in his dreams, it was hard to sleep. The rush was the only thing keeping his eyes open.

The other night he had come home. The special lights overhead let heat seep through, soothing the ache in his muscles a bit. Apologizing to Leo went fine until the dork smiled out of nowhere. His older brother said just one more thing and Raph was sure he was going to get a long lecture. Instead, Leo pointed as a blur of orange came Raph's way and he noticed his baby brother making grabby hands with a monotone voice saying "Hugs..."

Raph would have taken off but didn't want his brothers noticing his bad leg. The orange-masked turtle latched onto him and he groaned. Raph glared at Leo, only for his older brother to smile and he eyed the expression while promising to kill both his brothers. Leo chuckled, and Raph rolled his eyes. He would have preferred the lecture.

He tried not to grimace when Mikey hugged him tighter. He wasn't sure whose idea it was, but with how annoying it was he would say Mikey. A wince escaped from Raph as he felt pressure on his shoulder, the sharp pain made him grit his teeth and he hoped no one saw. Unfortunately Don did, and his little brother went into full doctor mode. For the next few days, he was supposed to take it easy at home and in bed. He growled at the instructions and Leo made it worse by calling off patrol for the next few days.

He called Leo an idiot and reminded Fearless that crime didn't take breaks. Leo wouldn't budge and Raph threatened to go anyway. Then Don got that scary look in his eyes whenever they weren't following doctor's orders. Raph glared but said nothing else.

The first day went by fine with him only having to threaten to kill Mikey a few times. Casey coming over helped but, at the same time it didn't since the dreams only got more vivid and left him frustrated, confused, and pissed off.

The second day he tried to sneak out. He needed air and something to knock his fist into. And if he had to go through one more day of Leo's tea that his brother swore was relaxing, or Mikey's soup that his brother kept forcing into him, then he would go mad. Honestly, he kept telling the orange masked turtle he didn't have a damn cold.

Then there was Don being a mother hen. He was sure he was going crazy so the moment he was alone, he quietly made his way to the exit. That ended with a sharp pain in his calf, him suddenly sleepy, then waking up strapped to the med-room bed with Don looking down at him.

Today was the third day, and he couldn't even feel the pain in his shoulder or leg anymore. He thought about trying to sneak out again, but the image of Don with those goggles,just staring with a tranq gun in hand and squinting eyes flashed through his head. He shuddered at the image of his brother just looking over him with white eyes, and he changed direction, heading to his workout area.

He didn't have much; just a small corner he could call his own with a bench in the middle. His weight plates to the side held up by rungs on the tower he made himself. Two bars in one corner, a few barbells and a punching bag in another corner. He had yet to find a powerlifting machine in the dump they'd frequent but he'd hold out hope.

He could just ask Don to build one but he remembered while in the med area of the lab, he caught a glimpse of his brother's trashcan full of coffee cups and energy drinks. He didn't see a light from the lab last night on his way to his room from the bathroom so he hoped his brother got some sleep.

The workout started simple, but it wasn't long until the picture of Casey came to mind and the feeling of those arms around him. He quickly shook his head of the thoughts with a scowl, from there, his kicks and punches became harder.

"It was just one hug" Raph yelled at the punching bag, feeling a rush of energy before he started another set of jabs. He caught the bag in his hands while breathing heavy with sweat dripping off him. He laid his head on the bag, unsure of how much time passed as strange feelings warred inside him.

What the hell was wrong with him? He and Casey had been through a lot together; one hug should be nothing. His eyes narrowed at the bag. He clenched a fist and stood back as he slammed it once more into the bag. He heard a rip as he delivered a kick and its contents started to spill out.

"Damn it..." he mumbled and picked up a towel to wipe his face. He took a look at the damage and breathed out a moment. He could try to fix it himself or…

"DON!"

"Yeah?" his brother rushed in wearing those cargo pants Don insisted on wearing now. They were held tight to his waist by a belt that wasn't even their ninja belts and then another belt on his thigh. The boots on his feet hadn't seemed to slow him, but it made Raph notice the extra fidgeting before Don's eyes landed on him. "Is something wrong? Did you pull something? I told you not to push yourself too much. Do I need to get another dart? Becaus-"

"I'm fine Donnie," he said quickly. His little brother was rushing out words quicker than usual and making his head spin trying to understand any of it. "But can ya do something for me?" he asked the question slowly, no longer as sure about asking.

"What?" Don's eyes were glassy **;** the word came out a bit shaky. Raph watched him closely before he pointed to the busted punching bag.

"But...are ya okay?" He didn't want to do it himself, but he couldn't stop the concern creeping up on him.

The purple masked turtle's eyes went wider if possible, making the dark circles under them stand out more on his green skin. Even the mask didn't hide it. "Yeah. Fine. Perfect." Don looked over at the punching bag, its contents now on the floor and Raph watched his little brother's face turn into an ugly scowl.

"Donnie?" He was rethinking his decision to call the Brainiac as he watched his brother's eyes narrow. "Maybe ya should just go ba-"

"How do you keep breaking this thing? It doesn't make sense! Have you tried not breaking it Raph?" Don snapped, his form shaking with a hand curled into a fist before jabbing a finger at him. Untrimmed nails poked at his skin and Raph's eyes narrowed, about to say something before Don's features softened and he lowered his hand.

"I'm...I'm sorry…" he took a deep breath, staring at his hands before going over to the punching bag. "You know you could go easier on it." his tone was softer as crouched down near the bag.

"It's a punchin' bag bro. Who goes easy on a punchin' bag?"

"Clearly not you..." Don mumbled.

Raph heard his brother and rolled his eyes. "Ya gonna fix it or not?" He was between hoping his little brother would say no, and not having to do it himself.

"Be right back…" Don sighed as he got up then left out. His brother's movements were skittish and Raph looked after him with a raised eye ridge.

Don came back with a small bag and crouched down before pulling out a few items then laying them out. "Mind getting me something to refill it with?"

"Like what?" Raph moved closer to his brother, not as willing to let him do all the work anymore.

"Oh, I don't know. Sand. Rice. Or maybe in your case cement."

He eyed the smirk on Don's face. "Whatever."

Raph snorted before leaving out and wondered where he was going to get it from. Certain stuff you couldn't salvage from the sewer. And with it still being light outside going to the surface was out which also meant no trying the dump either.

"Damn it..." he took a look around. He didn't want rice. He once tried rice in his punching bag after looking up some stuff on Don's laptop, and that was a waste of effort and rice. It didn't last long, and Mikey served rice-based meals for weeks that no one wanted to eat.

He chanced a look inside the lab and stepped in slowly. Nearly afraid that without its owner there Don might have cooked up some new alarm. Bleeps and bloops seem to come from everywhere as he looked at the computer screens in the middle overlooking a desk. He passed the whiteboard, trying not to knock into any of the inventions lined up against the wall and pausing at the counter to the right with a glass case on the wall. With the way all the stuff from their battles was displayed in there he almost regretted making the damn thing for Don. But it had to be better than the shelf that might as well had "Please Mikey Touch" on it. The counter had plenty of beakers, bottles and colors of stuff he had no clue about.

In the corner was a bag but to get there he'd have to get past "Mecha". Don called it an impressive showing of Utrom robotics and his own genius. Raph just called it annoying. He hadn't seen the robo dog yet but he learned a long time ago that meant nothing.

He silently moved over the bag, curious a **s** to what was inside, while glancing at the notes on the wall. One with the word "Rook" with "Base needed" on the bottom.

He shook his head, already picturing the beating Leo would get. Just when he thought his two brothers couldn't become bigger nerds, they got into chess. There was no way in hell his brothers would convince him to play. He moved and knocked over a trashcan, growling at the noise as he crouched down to put energy drinks, some coffee cups, and some other stuff back inside it.

He took one more look around before moving. Two more steps and suddenly he was on the ground with slobber on him as a dog licked his face. "Mecha! Off!" He shoved at the machine, grunting with an annoyed scowl as he fisted fur and pushed him off. If not for him seeing the damn thing being made, Raph would have thought he was real.

"Get off me!" He sighed then heard a whimper. He looked around a moment and sat up letting the dog nuzzle him. "Aight, fine. I missed ya too..." he smirked slightly as the dog sat on his hind legs with its tongue out. He lifted himself up, thinking it looked a lot like the dog in the picture Casey showed him of the one he had before his mom died. The dog had gone in and grabbed everyone out the store then went back to get Casey's mom.

Casey told him how the whole thing seem to explode in front of his eyes. He had asked if they ever caught the guy who set fire to the place, but Casey had gone silent and he let it go.

He petted the dog's head, Don even had the nick on the ear right but the eyes were all wrong. And the fur was a bit off in places. Don blamed it on Utrom science with their robotics. Raph blamed it on April calling that day.

He nearly put his hands on the bag before stopping. The likelihood of something exploding in his face or becoming attached to his face was too high. He went back to the door's entrance and peeked his head out.

"Donnie!"

"Yea?" his brother yelled back.

"What's in the bag in the lab?"

"A prototype material I'm working on. A type of material that can be encased but durable while also pliant. It's supposed to be ab-"

"Yeah, yeah. Can I use it?" he shouted back before Don could continue rambling. He heard a yawn followed by nothing. He wondered if he'd have to go check on him as he glanced at the time on one of Don's screens.

"That would be perfect actually," he said suddenly his tone chipper and making Raph's brow ridge rise. "On one condition, you have to tell me your findings."

Raph rolled his eyes, "Bro I'm just gonna put it in the bag. Then hit it..."

"Raph, it's important...Please?" There was a slight whine and Raph groaned. It would be one less thing the Brainiac would be working on.

"A **'** ight, fine." He went back to grab the bag. Spotting the container on a shelf, he pulled out one of Mecha's treats and fed it to him and the dog barked and yipped before his tail wagged. Raph tossed it and watched the dog jump up, catching it in his mouth before landing. He barked again and Raph chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Ya welcome." He smirked, grunting as he pulled the bag over his shoulder and took one look back at Mecha. "And don't think this mean I think ya less annoyin'." he eyed the dog who only barked back at him before he left.

After lugging the thing awhile, he was finally back and dropped it near his brother before rolling his shoulder. "This ain't gonna eat me later or somethin' right?"

"It's just filler material..."

"And the Creep is green goo. And the Krang were just pink brain things with tentacles." he gave Don a look before his brother rolled his eyes at Raph.

"No, it's not going to eat you…" his brother's tone turned south. "But seriously Raph if you're bored. There's tons of stuff you could be doing!"

"Like what? **"** Raph's brow ridge rose while trying to ignore the mood swing and focus on keeping a lid on his own rising temper. It didn't feel like much was going on.

There were no Krang after they saved the world and sent those bastards to hell. No alien dinos like the Triceratons. And if you looked at the outside world it was like they never were overrun by aliens that wanted to blow up or take over Earth.

"I…"Don breathed.

"Admit it Donnie. It's borin' round here. There's nothin' to do…"

"You mean besides from finding ways to deal with Don Vizioso and his mutant-hating mob? Not to mention their anti-mutant weapons." Don smirked and it bought a slight smile to his face though the purple masked turtle's moods were starting to give him whiplash.

"I can think of ways" Raph cracked his knuckles.

"Yeah because that ended so well last time and you didn't end up with your shell handed to you."

Raph snorted, "It was a bad night…" He still felt bad for that night Don got kidnapped after he said he'd quit the team. He bowed his head with a sigh and felt eyes on him.

"All I'm saying is..." Don paused. "We all have to be at our best when dealing with the enemies we face, and that purple dragon did a number on your shoulder, and your leg. You were lucky. "His brother got up, and Raph saw the bag was good as new before looking up at the taller turtle.

"It was just a lucky shot Donnie…"

"Still if you really want to do something. You could help me calibrate the shellraiser, and we still have to get double… **"** Raph had barely heard Don once his brother entered into a scientific ramble that had Raph blinking at Don.

After the first few sentences, he was lost and could barely wrap his head around whatever Don was rambling on about. Then he started saying words that sounded like a mix of an STD and some foreign language, and he began to rub his temples.

"Uh...yeah?" Raph said slowly.

"And then I had this idea about Mecha. I could improve on him more don't you think? I talked to Rook the other day through the communication orb..." Don continued while turning around to get his bag off the floor. Raph started to quietly back away and out of the room, he was starting to regret the Utrom ever giving his brother a link to talk. The pink brain things should just be renamed Good Krang and the other ones named Bad Krang. He could picture Mikey being mad about the name.

Once in the main room, he took a quick look around. He noticed that Leo was glued to that same lame ass show that he loved but, beyond that, everything was in place. Memories of their home destroyed and Master Splinter being defeated had flashed in his mind before he took a deep breath looking at the area.

Nothing out of place and he smelled the scent of Splinter's favorite tea coming from the kitchen. Things were calm, at least the New York City version of it.

He wondered what Casey was doing while he made his way to his room then stiffened at how the thought had sneaked in. He groaned before reminding himself that he was most likely catching up with April. The thought brought a scowl to his face, and he kicked open his door

He laid on the bed after grabbing one of his comics and closing his door. He opened it up and tried focusing on the words and pictures before tossing it onto a drum head with a groan He buried his face in a pillow before taking a deep breath and lifting up his head.

Boredom and annoyance were taking over.

At first, it wasn't a bad thing. Raph was surprised he craved boring after their massive battle to save Earth. It was still hard to believe they saved the whole world. Them, just some teenaged mutant ninja turtles.

 _Damn, now I sound like a fuckin' cartoon. What's next? Heroes in a half shell?_

He shuddered at his own thought process. He was starting to sound like Mikey, and that was definitely a cry for help in his book. But now it's been awhile...

 _Least we still got stupid criminals and their gangs_ _ **.**_

The news had said some stuff about break-ins but all those places were long since empty by the time him and Casey would come across it. It left him annoyed and pissed. Last night they didn't even get the chance to check out anything, though the Purple Dragons didn't disappoint.

"Raph? Raph!"

He heard yelling accompanied by banging on his door that made Raph groan again before the door slammed open.

"Raph!"

"Go away Mikey" he growled, before sitting up on his bed.

"But I got something to tell you. It's like super-duper important" Mikey gave a whimper that wasn't fooling Raph in the least. His brother could turn those baby blues onto someone else right now.

"What?"

"Can I borrow your skates?"

"Please!" Mikey had put his hands together next while his blue eyes got big. Raph could feel the urge to give in and then his eyes landed on his broken skateboard and then to the more recent ninja figurine on his display shelf. Mikey was lucky Don put it together.

"No," he said quickly before getting up.

"Why not? Is it because Casey got it for you?"

Raph started to feel his cheeks heat up and glared at Mikey, "Get out my room, Mikey!"

"Fine, I'm going, I'm going. Sheesh" Mikey crossed his arms. "It's not like I gotta tell you Casey's here an-"

"Case is here?" Raph pushed Mikey out the way and heard a yelp behind him as he kept going. He started to run, feeling his heart race faster before stopping.

What the hell I'm doing? It's just Casey.

He slowed down and continued on his way to the main room. He could hear talking and a girl's laughter.

"I'm not doing a split kick for you." came April's voice.

"Aww, but I missed it!"

Raph heard Casey's whine while picturing the teen probably making the damn puppy eyes to match which caused him to roll his eyes. Why the hell was she here?

"Great job, April, you're getting better." He heard Leo next and wanted to roll his eyes.

"Aww **, t** hanks, Leo! Though I think Sensei is pushing me harder now **…** "

Raph didn't miss the undertone of fatigue. For a moment he felt bad for her, knowing how tough his dad could be.

 _Maybe I should tell her good job or somethin'?_

He came closer and went to join the group.

"Nah, he just knows ya can handle it Red." Casey grinned and pulled April close to him and Raph's eyes narrowed at them. Fuck encouragement. He hoped Master Splinter ran her ass to the ground.

"Yo Raph! When you get here?" Casey finally looked at him, and Raph crossed his arms over his plastron while not bothering to hide his glare.

"I live here bonehead." he grunted as Mikey came running up.

"Ya know what I mean," Casey laughed and finally let April go.

"Raph, ya heard about April's new move?" Mikey nudged him with a grin. "It's totally awesome."

"Already heard, ding dong. **"** Raph muttered.

"Bro, ya shoulda saw her" Casey gave a gap-toothed grin, and Raph looked back at the dark **-** haired teen boy.

"Maybe try it out next time we spar together" Leo smiled in her direction, and that boosted his annoyance.

"That ain't a real fight Splinter Junior," Raph spoke up and ignored the look Leo threw at him. "It ain't. **"** He shrugged.

He knew that April could fight but seeing Casey's reactions right now bugged him, and he couldn't figure out why.

"And I could show April some new moves, "Don laughed and Raph barely held back from adding a new gap to Don's teeth. Maybe, as a bonus, it'd knock some sense into him when it came to April. As smart as his brother was, he didn't get why his brother turned into a damn fool over the red head.

"That's if she can keep up,"Raph smirked at the new kunoichi and wasn't bothered by the roll of her eyes at him.

"I've BEEN keeping up with you guys," April poked a finger against him with a smile. "I am a kunoichi now"

"Yep!" Mikey laughed. "Remember how she took down those alien guys? It was like boom! Then pow!"

Raph watched Mikey do a kick and punch the air dramatically before taking some weird stance that reminded him of Bruce Lee.

"I am the dragon. I shall defeat you with my ninja skill. And the force" Mikey's voice took on a serious tone. "Watch me as I, the Red Kunoichi. Foil you wi-"

SMACK

"Ow! Raph!" Mikey rubbed his head and glared in his direction.

"Fo' real. Red is all stealth now. Coolest ninja I ever seen," Casey winked in April's direction as April rolled her eyes before giving Casey a light shove.

"Aww..." Mikey cooed, and Raph started to clench his fists, he quickly went over to Case and shoved him as his best friend stared at him with his mouth gaped open.

"The coolest?" Raph yelled. "Really Jones? Then what the fuck am I?" He got louder as Casey jumped up with a look in his eyes.

He had been out with Casey a million times and the coolest he says he's seen was April, he gritted his teeth together as his blood boiled.

"That's different!" Casey yelled back before shoving him, but Raph got right back in his face. His hands went to Casey's collar as he pinned him to a wall.

"How? She's been doin' this shit less than I have! So how da fuck she's better than me?!"

"I ain't say that!" Casey grabbed his wrists with fire in his eyes before punching Raph.

He blinked a moment as he fell back a few steps but continued to glare at Casey "Might as well bonehead!"

"Shellbrain!" Casey stepped forward and got in his face.

"MORON!" he shoved Casey again. "If you were any more goo goo eye over that shit, I'd think ya'd be pulling flowers out ya ass next!"

"Like you can talk?" Casey looked at him in disbelief. "Mona. Oh, Mona. I love the way ya hit me." he made kissing sounds before glaring. "I hit ya all the time! So fuck you Raph!"

Raph's eyes narrowed at the salmandrian's name. "Oh yeah?" his tone was dark.

"Look guys..." April spoke up, and Raph watched her get between them. "It was just one stupid move."she put a hand Raph's shoulder. He shot her a look, and she quickly jumped back.

Raph looked back at Casey noticing the fire in his best friend's eyes, and Raph was all for it.

Raph glanced at Leo. He could already see the long lecture coming and like hell, he was dealing with that. He saw Mikey looking confused, his brow ridges pinched together. Don was looking at the two of them and Raph saw his brother's red-brown eyes look full of pain. He fidgeted, hands wringing together before Raph chanced a look himself at Casey and April.

April had her hands on the sides of his face. He almost thought they were looking at each other before he saw those dark eyes landing right on him. He tried to place the expression on Casey's face before April's head turned frowning with a disapproving look at him.

"Fuck this…" Raph shook his head and turned to leave, not bothering to look back. He'd seen enough and April could kiss his ass right now.

"Raph…"

He could hear Don call after him, but he just kept moving.

"Come on Casey. How about we can watch that movie we were talking about…." April said softly.

"Yeah, sure." Casey replied in a nonchalant tone while Raph tried not to care about the lack of footsteps behind him.


	4. Brothers Stick Together

**Disclaimer** : I do not own TMNT or anything to do with TMNT.

 **Author's note** : Now on to Chapter 4! Thank you to my beta and others giving me ideas , suggestions and helping me with this story.

Please remember that this story is based primarily in 2012 TMNT though there will be other elements of different TMNT universes found throughout. This means that you might see some 2003 TMNT stuff, some 2014 TMNT movie stuff and you might even see stuff from the comics. And these are just a few examples.

 **To SuperNovaWolf:** It's been changed to a quick hug lol but they are close. And yes they eventually become a couple so I did take your advice on the warnings so thank you for that. I love constructive criticism, it helps me get better.

Thank you to those enjoying the story. Please continue to review and comment. It means a lot. If you want, even send me a PM I don't mind at all. I even take story requests lol. November has me a bit slow with Nano and I'm working on a new multichapter for it called "Cracked Open" set in 2003 universe. For those doing Nano, do your best. I'm cheering you on!

 **Warning** :

This story contains Raph/Casey, a slash or male love pairing. If that's not your cup of tea, I recommend not reading the story. So if you don't like guys that get with guys, you probably won't like this one. Though there are other elements to the story, and there are other pairings. It's Raph's p.o.v so Casey/Raph will be more in your face.

More warning: This chapter contains self-harm and abuse. Both characters realize this is not something that's healthy, so if this is something you deal with. Get help, you're not alone!

 **This is a rewrite of Chapter 4 "Just A Story".**

* * *

Raph moved along the rooftop before kicking a vent with a growl. He looked at the dent he made and imagined it was Casey's head. Maybe that would knock some sense into the bonehead.

He stayed near the shadows on the roof, using what little bit of cover there was. It hadn't been the smartest idea to leave during the day, but he couldn't take another minute in there. Not without throwing Casey into a wall.

He knew it was nothing like the times he'd snuck into the movies with Casey. No night sky, no disguise. Nothing but the shadows that he hoped were on his side right now as he sat on the roof.

The sun was out, and he let a hand go out a bit to catch the rays. Real sun. Not the unnatural man-made one at home. His hand flexed, fingers warming a bit even as the wind blew through the gaps of his fingers.

A blue sky overhead, his eyes stayed up there as his breath caught like all the other few times he saw it. It wasn't like the night sky, speckled with stars that taunted him like small suns. It reminded him of space and Raph leaned back letting his head hit the back of the surface behind him.

Space... Mona Lisa...

She was just a tough subject for him and Casey both.

He took a deep breath and dragged a hand over his face before closing his eyes. When he first met the salamandrian and asked Casey's opinion on dating a newt, his best friend had burst out laughing. Then later that night after he and Mona Lisa exchanged a kiss, he had tried to talk to Casey about it, but he couldn't even find the bone head.

At first, he thought nothing of it until every time he'd go in a room, Casey would leave. Or every time he'd start talking to his best friend. He'd come up with some stupid excuse to go. It was clear Casey was avoiding him, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. And it only got worse after the second time he saw Mona.

Then, on the day he was going to confront the idiot, he saw Mona Lisa once again even though this time it went nothing like he thought it would. She had betrayed him. He glared at the memory before taking a deep breath. He forgave her but still it hurt.

And finally, when he got hold of Casey, his best friend just shrugged at his decision with a smile. He then let Raph know he'd support his decisions. Even stupid ones. He could still remember that hurt in Casey's eyes, maybe in a way he had betrayed them all too.

It became just understood to not mention Mona Lisa with each other.

He felt something pulsing from a pouch along his belt and muttered a curse under his breath. Was it Monday already? Pulling out the device that reminded him of some futuristic phone, he pressed a button as a small holographic projection appeared and he was looking at his girlfriend, Mona.

"Hey…" he tried to give her a smile. "So how was uh…" he tried to remember the planet she told him that her mission was on.

"Havexi?" Mona laughed while he admired the alien salamander's unique beauty.

"Yeah that one" he smirked a bit while noticing her glow. It was also cool how her skin always had a shine to it. Mona said it was the mucus her skin makes, he just tried not to think about how his girlfriend's skin makes snot.

"It was..." she sighed. "Actually Raphael..."

"Ya can't tell me" he finished. "Never mind, don't know why I asked. My bad Mona..." he saw a slightly irritated look on her face.

"You know I would tell you if I could."

"Yeah, but ya never can. Like that time ya came back with ya tail missin' and ya hand. Ya couldn't tell me that either, cuz that's classified" he muttered while pushing down the panic that she might be missing another limb he couldn't see.

"It grew back. So what's the problem?"

"You was missin' body parts, Mona! Body parts!" he snapped.

"I told you that with my kind limbs can grow back easily. A missing arm or even leg is nothing," Mona sighed. "And it would be nice if you attempted to say my real name at least once."

"What's wrong with Mona?" he narrowed his eyes.

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Just…As I told you last time, it would be nice for you to say my name sometimes. We barely get chances to talk as it is, especially with battles taking place on the West borders."

"What's goin' on?" Raph was concerned. It had gone from him not knowing if he would ever see her again to if he would hear from her again. Complaining wouldn't help. She had her own troops to command as a lieutenant.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you."

"Yeah…" he sighed a moment. With the Salamandrian race being warriors that left most of her life classified until Raph suddenly decided to join the Salamandrian Military and become part of the air fleet. And even then he wasn't even sure how much the Air Fleet told each other.

He remembered once when Leo kept information about a mutagen shipment from him and Mikey, then labeled it as compartmentalization of info whatever. He wasn't even aware that was a thing until Don assured him that it was, and then their dad also said that in the end as a leader that Leo had to decide what was important.

That was a bad day in the Hamato family that ended with him pissed, Mikey crying, Don trying to clean up the mess and everyone blaming him, like usual, because his plan to get the mutagen failed.

"I wish I could…" she murmured and he just shrugged.

Wishing did a whole lot of nothing in his book. Actions did. And if she couldn't say what was going on, that was the end of that. Maybe he should ask her to let him join up. He smirked at the idea of his own troops but then made a face at the pressure and how long he would have to wait until he was at that level.

Mona was 24, a fact which made him grin more and made Leo's eyed bug out when he learned the Salmandrian's age. He grimaced after doing the math. Nearly a decade of being under a bunch of Leos and on a strange planet in space. And when would he even see his family again?

"Fuck…" he mumbled.

"You don't have to say that."

"Not you Mona Lisa…"

"Y'Gythgba..." her eyes narrowed.

"I'll work on it okay?"

"You said that last time."

Raph groaned before rolling his eyes, "A'ight, damn. I get it. Workin' on the name. Any more complaints?" he snorted.

"I didn't call to argue. I need to get going." She sighed. "I'll call you, I don't know how my schedule will be. Until I hear from you again, my Raphael."

"Yeah, you too M-" he saw her eyes narrowing. "I mean...you too" he had no intention of stumbling over her name like he did last time. He breathed out in relief when she ended the transmission, and he leaned back again.

"Maybe if ya name wasn't so damn hard" he mumbled under his breath before looking at the sky. Had they talked that long? The air was cooler, and the sky was painted orange. The blue was long gone, and he sighed as he missed the warmth on his fingers. He tried to remember a conversation between them last week but mostly all he could remember beyond his brothers, dad, and April….was Casey.

He looked at the device in his hand and slipped it back in the pouch. That device was the only thing that kept their last goodbye from being a real goodbye. Though he had no clue if or when he'd get another nose to nose from Mona

Those salamandrian kisses from her always left him dizzy with a funny feeling in his stomach. It was like those things called an Eskimo kiss on Earth and plenty of times Raph wondered about a real Earth kiss with her. He never did it himself, but he was pretty sure neither had she.

It never happened, but Raph didn't want to let her go. She wanted him, the giant mutant turtle, and it felt good to be needed in that way. Though every time he thought of her betrayal, he wanted to break something. Was she even doing what she said she was doing?

He tried pushing the thoughts down. Mona wanted him. That was enough. Right? It was still hard to believe that someone had wanted him. The freak. He brought his knees up to his plastron and laid his head on his padded knees.

"...stupid Casey," he mumbled.

Casey might be his best bud, but he was sure the guy didn't get it. Would he? He had April. One day his best friend would trade in his hockey mask and stick forever for, if not April, some other girl. The thought terrified him.

He had always thought it would be him and Casey forever, but since that time where Don and Casey started their little bonding session, Raph couldn't help feeling left out. And lost. He was losing his best friend to his geeky little brother, and that left him with what?

His girlfriend wanted him. Agreed to be with him. And now he knew he wasn't exactly alone. How was that a bad thing? One day Casey would be gone. And the only one he'd give a damn about would be April. He shut his eyes tight as a memory took over his thoughts.

 _"He's kinda cute," Casey smirked at Raph._

 _His brothers Don and Leo shot him worried looks as he carried his new pet Chompy Picasso around. Ever since they left where Chompy's mom Tokka was killed along with his world being destroyed, the baby alien turtle had stuck to him like glue. He wasn't complaining in the slightest, and even Mikey and April couldn't help but to shower the tiny turtle with affection._

 _Yet Leo kept shooting him glances and even took him to the side to tell him that this wouldn't replace Spike. And then Don took it on himself to talk low to him, mentioning how he knew Raph still kept Spike's, now the leader of the Mighty Mutanimals, tank clean and how Raph would even put fresh lettuce inside it._

 _He had kept waiting on a worried glance from Casey, yet the bonehead hadn't done it yet, and now he was eyeing him._

 _"Gonna call him cute too?"_

 _"He ain't got nothin' on my looks, but it's pretty cool ya gotta new pet."_

 _"Yeah, but he ain't Spike," There, he'd said it. He waited for the same look he'd gotten from his brothers to cross Casey's face, only to be met with a gap-toothed grin staring back at him._

 _"Cool, then I ain't gotta save ya ass when he mutates on ya, "Casey laughed._

No worried looks. No gentle words. Raph knew that Chompy Picasso wasn't Spike and Casey knew just what to say that day. Once they got back home to Earth, he couldn't figure out where to keep his new turtle. Leo suggested Spike's old tank and Raph freaked out. It had taken his dad to calm him down, and Casey had been there to witness the whole thing.

He let Chompy stay in his bed, but he had barely slept that night. He was pretty sure his best friend was going to never let him live what happened down. When he finally fell asleep, he woke up to a new tank with Chompy's name on it. Nearby was a letter from Casey saying how Chompy needed his own place because it'd be a shame if Raph rolled over and squashed him.

He still hadn't figured out how the bonehead snuck anything into his room and was pretty sure his brothers helped. The memory made him growl.

He didn't need Casey. That stupid grin. His dumb laugh. The way he talked to him. The way he was around when he needed him. Screw it. Screw him. He jumped up and landed a punch on the wall.

"FUCK YOU CASEY JONES!" Raph yelled out while breathing heavy. He stiffened at the sound of footsteps behind him at a quick yet long gait. He let his hands brush against his sais, before turning into a defensive stance. He pulled out his weapons quickly with his eyes already white with fury.

"Good thing my name isn't that neanderthals'" Don came closer as Raph's grip relaxed on his weapons before putting them away.

"Not now Donnie," he gritted his teeth together as he emphasized each word. "I ain't goin' back in there" His little brother could shove it if he thought he was going back right now.

"Are you quitting again? I assumed we had at least a few more weeks until number 28." Don snickered, his eyes were wide with a slight laugh in his tone that bordered on manic. Raph looked him over closer before cutting his eyes at him before looking at his brother's belt that held tightly to the, what he thought was already small, wrinkled pants that were starting to look huge on even Don's lanky frame.

Raph snorted as he heard his brother's boots against the roof as he walked. He had no clue where Don found some to fit but it was the last thing he was worried about as he crossed his arms. "I rather go live in space" he mumbled.

Don fidgeted, licking his lips and Raph wondered if the genius forgot how to be still. "I thought you hated space?"

"I do" Raph mumbled while keeping a close eye on Don, his brother's mask wasn't even on correctly and tied sloppily to the side. Except for a few good times and his girlfriend, he hated space with a passion. "What's up with you anyway?"

"Me?" he squeaked. "What do you mean?" his eyes shifted while he bit his lip, his words moving as fast as his shaky hands. The small glow of his goggles at the top of his head made his eyes look bigger.

"Ya just been weird la-"

"I said I'm fine!" he breathed heavy and Raph's mouth snapped shut with his eyes squinting at his little brother. Raph took a deep breath looked away from the taller turtle while forcing his hand from balling into a fist.

"Raph…"

"Ain't in the mood Donnie." he snapped glared at his little brother. Before at least he had his punching bag, right now he lacked a target, and his brother's mouth was making him a tempting one. One more wrong word from Don and his brother would be a turtle kabob.

"She kissed me…"

"Huh?" He blinked at Don. His brother stood there head down, the wind carrying the tails of his purple mask.

"April kissed me. More than once." He shuffled his feet and looked down at his hands before wringing them together. He was still talking too fast, and Raph was working to keep up. "We even…"

Raph's eyes widened. He wasn't even aware April, and Don was that close. And did Casey know? Were they still doing that while April was with Casey? Don didn't seem the type but damn how did his nerdy little brother get that before he did.

He shook his head quickly. He didn't want to know. And preferred it that way.

"Nope. Stop talkin' "He didn't know what the hell possessed Don but he didn't feel prepared for this. He always expected that when that subject came up, his little brothers would go to Leo or their dad first.

If they went to their dad first, then he wouldn't hear about it. But if they went to Leo first, he'd be able to tell because he was pretty sure his oldest brother was innocent in that area. And the image of a sputtering, red-faced Leo with no clue what to say for once was priceless, then after he'd find whichever little brother with the issue and help.

He never pictured them coming to him. And then there was the fact that he always thought the likelihood of it happening was low. Super low.

Don usually looked up all the answers anyway, and Mikey was still amazed from the kiss on the cheek he got from the timetress Renet. He probably had another 20 years before Mikey asked him anything.

"No? But Raph I'm trying to..."

"Ya wanna hear a turtle go splat Donnie?" he gave a look. "Cuz ya will if you keep talkin' bout you and April fuckin'."

"Me an-" Don's eyes got larger if possible. Slightly red glassy eyes that blinked wildly at him as his head shook with his hands still shaking as one grabbed the other before wringing together. It didn't stop until Don grabbed his pants. "No...I didn't...I me-mean…" his cheeks turned crimson as started to stutter and Don's hands went to cover his face, "That's not what I meant," he said into his hands.

"Oh," Raph went quiet and felt relief. He moved to sit down and nudged one of Don's long legs that were bouncing. "You can continue."

Don peeked out through his fingers and down at Raph before slowly lowering his hands. His hands were shaky still as he breathed out. His eyes darted in different directions before staying on him. "What I was trying to say..." he sat beside Raph, but his legs only moved more. "April, and I got closer. We talked a lot. I even got over the Casey thing. "

"Trust me I noticed ya got over the Casey thing" He mumbled before noticing the look Don gave him.

"He was still your best friend Raph, even then…" He said quickly, Raph almost didn't catch it from the already too quick pace Don was talking.

"Yeah, yeah" Raph moved a hand to wave it off while ignoring the sting he still felt from that time on the farm. "What about you and O'Neil?"

"Well..." Don continued, but Raph kept watching him closely. "The kiss helped a lot, and it felt amazing."

Raph looked over at Don's smile and didn't blame him. The thought of anyone being interested in them seemed a stretch at best. But for a human to be interested seemed crazy impossible. Though he had to wonder how much did April count as being human since she was half Krang.

"Then we got back to Earth, and Master Splinter announced she was a full kunoichi…." Don trailed off, his hands trembled as he held them. Wringing them together more as Raph watched his brother's jittery movements, even Mikey didn't have this much a problem staying still. "I wanted it to be special for her. I was proud of her. And then I remembered when Casey told me about high school proms and how April didn't even want to go to her junior one."

"A prom?" Raph raised a brow. "When did you and Case even talk? And how the hell prom came up? And can ya talk slower?"

"Well um...back on the farm…" Don started slowly, and Raph could feel his own fists clenching. He watched Don's eyes lower.

"How about we talk about something else..."

Raph took a deep breath before looking at the circles under his brother's eyes, "Nope ya came out here for a reason and Fearless ain't gonna be happy bout both of us out here in broad daylight. Me pissin' him off is one thing, ain't lettin' the one time ya go against him be for nothin'. So talk…"

Don smiled. A bit too much as he looked at him but Raph bit his tongue not wanting his brother to snap again. The turtle was already worrying him. "High schools have this big dancing event with a theme where they can ask a person out. You pay for tickets, there's dressing up…"

"Oh, yeah…" Raph thought of the times he saw it on television but could also remember he flipped past it quickly. Except once, but that involved a telepathic crazy chick and pig blood. That actually had been a good movie. "So what about it?"

"I decided to give her a prom" Don's wistful smile turned into a goofy grin. Teeth. Way too many teeth. "She loved it."

Raph raised a brow at his little brother while fighting the urge hit him and bring him back down to earth. One thing kept bothering him about what Don said.

"Ya can't dance" Raph looked at him confused. He remembered when they were younger and had a dance off. Don was better than Leo, but still had the grace of an elephant in a china shop.

"I know that," Don snapped and Raph gritted his teeth together. His brother looked down. "Sorry I…" he rubbed his fingers over his hand.

"Just….tell the story."

Don gave a small nod before looking back up. "I decided to take a chance. For April. A scary, frightening, panic-inducing chance that had a high chance of failure depending on which variables you looked at and then, of course, there wa-"

Raph couldn't take it anymore as he smacked his brother on the head. He could only ignore that urge a limited number of times.

"Ow!" Don's eyes squinted, "What the hell was that for!" he glared, but Raph could only blink at him realizing the word that just slipped from his brother's mouth.

"Did ya just cuss?" The question felt odd to even say as he watched Don's glare drop and he suddenly looked down.

"No. I said shell. I said...I said shell." He said each word slow but the shakiness took away from it. "Do I look like I'd cuss?" Raph opened his mouth only for Don to continue, "No, that's you. Or…or Casey."

Raph slowly nodded. A few minutes ago and he would be the last one disagreeing. He tried to decide what to say or do next as he looked at the purple-masked turtle. He was barely still, and he had to look away not to say anything about it. "So what happened?"

"It went great!" Don's voice was so high that Raph took a chance and looked at the wide grin that matched the chipper tone. The glassy eyes were the main thing stopping him from slapping him and demanding his brother stop making him feel like he was taking a bo staff to the head from Don's mood swings.

He stayed quiet, looking at his brother as he continued to say nothing. His eyes were strange, and Raph wasn't sure how long he could just sit here watching an energetic, jumpy Don before he snapped and said the wrong thing.

"Donnie, I swear if ya don't start talkin'..."

Don's eyes blinked and looked at him. His brow ridges pinched together before rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Patience is a virtue you know."

"And wrath's a sin. So guess what I'm feelin'." Raph cracked his knuckles.

"Okay, okay. And Leo says I have a temper lately." Don muttered, and Raph was getting tired of biting his tongue feeling the sting as he bit down again. Don's fingers drummed against his thigh before continuing, "We danced…"

"But ya can't dance."

"Are you going to let me finish!" Don snapped.

"Go ahead" Raph smirked, hoping it masked the concern he was feeling.

"We danced…"Don eyed him before looking away. "And she was close. Everything just felt right, so I kissed her. And she kissed me back. It was…"Don sighed. "Amazing. She even stayed the night in the lab. She was in my arms when I woke up..."

"And that's when ya finally boned her?"

"NO!" Don's face turned beet red while Raph snickered.

"I told you we didn't do that." Don's face was slowly turning back green, but Raph chuckled inwardly at the faint crimson on his brother's cheeks. "In fact the next day she told me that maybe she should give Casey a chance."

Raph stared at his little brother in disbelief, part of him wanted to say I told you so, his brother was a mutant turtle like the rest of them. The 'whatever' Don and April were was doomed to begin with. It was only a matter of time before April wanted someone that at least looked more like her.

Even though all of them were half human, they were still freaks that looked like turtles. And no one human would want that. Not April. And not Casey either. At least his girlfriend was a reptile.

It was dark now. No reason to hide but with one look at his three-fingered hand, it gave Raph every reason for why he was supposed to hide anyway.

"Mad that ya ain't get ya chance?" Raph broke the silence.

"That's not..." Don shook his head as his hands balled up. "She talked to me. We could discuss projects, experiments, and just...different solutions." Don's brow ridges furrowed and his hands shook more again as his brother took shaky breaths. "She liked the same things I do."

"Donnie…" Raph swallowed as his mind conjured up memories.

 _"Aww. Is Raphie inna bad mood" Casey smirked before Raph slugged him in the arm._

 _"Nah, I think I feel better now" Raph smirked as he slammed his fist in an open hand._

 _"Ready to bust some heads?" Casey gave a gapped tooth grin._

 _"Hell yeah." Raph hit his head against Casey's like when the first time they decided to go out._

"Now do it. Name one person at home that has the same interests I do. Name one!" Don looked at him. His voice cracking and wailing. Brownish red irises staring at him, framed by dark circles the mask couldn't hide with the way it was on wrong. "Besides from sci-fi, mine and Leo's interests stop there. Even dad doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about. Mikey tries, but you know how that goes. And you even walk out in the middle of me talking sometimes."

Raph sighed while trying to figure out what to say, "It's not that I don't care what you're saying bro. I jus-"

"No, I get it." Don rose a hand up with a bitter laugh. "I mean it's not like I want to hear whose better between Chuck Silva and Wanderlei Liddell. Even though you and Casey act like it's a life or death thing."

Raph stared at his little brother as his eye twitched. "Donnie…"

"Yes?"

"First...it's Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva. Second, ya not allowed to say anythin' else UFC related."

"Bu-"

"Nope."

"Raph…"

"Uh uh." It hadn't taken long for him and Casey to figure out they had a lot in common. Kicking ass and watching others kick ass just happened to be two of them. "Go back to April, cuz no" he snorted and looked at his brother's shoulders sag.

"Once…she told me she wants to be a scientist...or like a reporter."

"I can see that…"

"Because she's stubborn? Smart? Relentless in what she wants? Fierce?" Don was grinning wildly, bouncing almost with his suggestions.

"Nah, she looks like she'd be some dude assistant or like she'd be jumpin' on a trampoline to help with fitness tips" he smirked before getting punched in the arm.

"Raph I'm serious…" Don's eyes had narrowed. Raph took another breath, counted in his head as his fingers flexed, uncurling out the ball about to form. The look in his brother's eyes giving him more motivation to keep a lid on his temper best he could.

"I know..."Raph grumbled as thoughts of Casey came, and he looked out towards the city where the projects were. Buildings barely holding it together and where the purple dragon gang ran rampant.

A home was there, close by a store with burned down remains with a burnt down auto shop next to it to match. A little girl was there. Nine with messy long hair with the same color of her big brother's. A man, larger. Bigger. Bulky with surprisingly blonde hair in a low ponytail. His arms bandaged up, all the way to the shoulder. Something about the man put him on edge before he even found out what was happening. He used to wonder where Casey would take his little sister Isabel while with them. He couldn't see the dark haired teen leaving her with his dad. Then Casey mentioned some girl at their school named Gabrielle.

"She talked about her dad a lot while we were up in Space." Don's voice took him out his thoughts, and he leaned back against the cold surface. "Remember how she stopped being our friends after her dad got mutated that time?"

"I do. April was pissed. Wasn't hearin' nothin' until…" He trailed off.

"Until what?" Don looked at him.

"Case talked to her…"

"Maybe I do owe the overgrown monkey a thanks" Don chuckled, but Raph went quiet before taking a deep breath.

"Don't insult monkeys bro…" he tried to keep his voice nonchalant with a hand going to a sai, pulling it out and twirling it.

"Raph...we can talk about something else…"

Raph swallowed. Did he want to talk about this? The answer was a clear hell to the no, but his little brother needed someone to talk to. And he wasn't sure what else to do but let him talk. "Nah, I'm good. It's good she got her pops back, though. Sucks about her mom, though."

"Yeah, sometimes I'll catch her just staring at this old picture of her…does...Casey ever?"

"Ever what?" he muttered as the memories hit him.

 _Raph sat by the tub. What month was it even? The days started to roll together, and he couldn't tell you if it had been 6 weeks or 8 weeks. It was just one long day of hell where he kept waking up to this._

 _"Ya still up?"_

 _Raph heard the door open and didn't look at the human that slid down next to him. His eyes stayed on that tub with his brother inside. He still said nothing as silence took over._

 _"Sometimes I hate him," Casey spoke up. "Like, really hate him. Fucked up ain't it? He gave me this one when I was 5."_

 _Raph glanced to see Casey touching a scar that looked like an old burn, he narrowed his eyes at it before looking over at his best friend._

 _"How long…" his voice was barely a whisper. He kept looking at the burn, feeling pretty sure it came from a cigarette. He thought back to the times Casey would come over with black eyes and bruises. He never questioned it, thinking it was the dragons._

 _"Since mom died in that fire…" Casey didn't look at him and let his sleeve drop to cover the burn._

 _"Case…"_

 _"But the whole damn time I was like don't let those bastards get him. Him or my sister even if he did shit like this. They're the only family I got…" Casey's voice was quiet. "I wanna keep hopin' that he'll put the bottle down. He'll change. Be my pops."_

 _He could feel his anger as he looked at the sleeve hiding the burn before taking a deep breath. "He will Case..." He had been thinking of what he wouldn't give to have Leo yell at him again. Sometimes, he was so pissed at the blue-masked turtle. Now…._

 _"And Leo's gonna wake up…"_

 _"Yeah..." Raph nodded while hoping the fresh bandages hid the newest cut he'd given himself._

Raph shut his eyes tight. He didn't want that memory drug up through his mind and opened his mouth to tell Don to shut the hell up. He looked at his little brother and the concern on his face, and the words became caught in his throat.

"Raph, just talk to me..."

He looked away quickly as he felt a burn in the corner of his eyes. He could see his big brother in that damn tub clear as the day they put him in it to get better. Splinter had been gone after Shredder's back stabbing move to damn them all to hell. He was scared to death to leave Leo's side. Scared that the moment he did, he'd lose his brother.

"Ain't I s'ppose to be the one here for you, Brainiac?" he chuckled, but it came out hoarse.

"And here I always thought we were watching each other backs," Don said softly. The words a raced, but it was Don. Not as manic. The eyes not as wide. Whatever it was that had his brother that way seemed to be dying down. Raph glanced at the small smile before looking away.

He wasn't sure what to say. Where to start. Casey was his best friend. April was Don's best friend. Raph scratched at the bandages on his wrists where old scars were hidden. His brothers still didn't know. Only Casey knew just how far he fell to the bottom.

"Think we losin' em Donnie?" he whispered, unable to think of a better way to say it. Casey had helped him through that. Through all the times he and his brothers trained, but he could feel himself lose it when there was no clash of a sai and katana.

His eyes closed again at another onslaught of memories took over. Blood. Knives. It was hard to breathe.

 _"Wat da hell Raph! What ya doin?"_

 _"Nothin'! Now fuck off!"_

 _"Ya call this nothin'?" Casey held up his wrist that was covered in fresh cuts that stood out against his green skin. "Why ya doin' this? Leo's up now! He needs you! All ya brothers need ya!"_

 _"Ya don't think I know that?" Raph yelled as he felt tears starting. His eyes narrowed, and his body was tense as he tried snatching his arm back. He growled, practically roared at the teen gripping his wrist._

 _"I need you..."Casey's voice had dropped, and Raph went still, staring at the human silently before he stopped struggling. Casey dropped his arm, but he didn't move._

 _The dark haired teen left, coming back with a first aid kit and started to patch him up. Raph watched him, not saying a word. He finished patching Raph up and moved away from him, turning to leave while closing the door behind him._

"Raph!"

He blinked and saw red-brown eyes staring at him. Wide, frantic. Hands on the sides of his face as he looked back. "Don?"

"Take deep breaths…just in and out..."

Raph breathed while pushing that memory far down. The wind had picked up, it was nothing but cold now up here. He couldn't hear the city streets below. Only his own heart beating fast. Casey said he needed him. But…

For how long?

"I'm good." he cleared his throat while averting his eyes, still feeling his little brother's eyes on him. He kept taking those slow deep breaths and heard Don moving to stand up.

"I think..."

Raph looked up at Don a moment. Unsure. Unsteady. Don was the techno geek. The scientist. The medic. The fixer. He fixed things. Stuff. Them. How the hell could he help his little brother? Instead, Don was trying to fix him. Don was always trying to fix it. Who the hell was fixing Don?

"I think they wouldn't lie to us. You know?" Don's eyes drooped, and he rubbed at them before a yawn. One of Don's hands went to his side and pulled out a small flask, bringing it to his lips as Raph thought about his little brother's question. He couldn't remember a time Casey lied to him. He could be a major idiot, but he never betrayed him. Still, he kept looking at Don as the flask came down from the purple-masked turtle's lips.

Raph just gave a smirk as concern grew in him. "Ya know Donnie, ya might just be the smart one." He chuckled a bit before watching his little brother smile. Too wide. Too much teeth.

"So we're going home now? Or I have to tell Leo I failed at getting you back?" Don laughed, a bit too loud to Raph's ears as he heard the jumpiness start to return. He still couldn't hear much of the streets below. He blinked and looked at Don, realizing the words from his mouth.

"Wait...Leo sent ya?"

"Not exactly...I was headed here, and he asked if I'd bring you back. I didn't say where I was going. He probably guessed."

"Why ya ain't say that from the beginning?"

"If I did, would you have listened?" Don started to walk. Faster than usual. No wonder he didn't know the strange gait coming up on him earlier. Raph opened his mouth to say something before realizing the obvious answer to that one. It was dark. Cold. The roof's shadows meaningless as he looked at the back of Don's head.

"Smart ass" he snorted before following.

"Well, I am the smart one…"


	5. Brotherly Love is the Best Love

**AN** : Okay, so I don't own TMNT. And next, sorry for not uploading here, I'm actually a bit...more nervous uploading stories here. lol But I'm now more at the point where I understand not everyone will like my stories and if no one reviews then I need to be okay with it. I'm actually up to Chapter 11 on Archive of Our Own with this story, but we'll get caught back up. I'll try to post the other stories here as well.

Please remember this story is set in TMNT 2012 with other TMNT elements pulled from them in bits and pieces. Also be warned that this is a **Raph/Casey** Pairing. If it's not your thing, turn back now.

Also know that in the story there is caffeine addiction, implied child abuse, and self-harm. None of these things are a good thing, and they will not be glorified. I think that's it and please enjoy the story! Any reviews are awesome as well!

* * *

Don's quick movement with his bo staff didn't make it easier to follow him during training, Mikey had been left without his nunchucks and a naginata blade within an inch of his throat while on his shell. Don stood over their baby brother, and the sight usually would have had Raph grinning with pride instead of yawning like he was doing now. Don's jittery movements motivated him more to try and stay awake, though it was still difficult.

It was another sleepless night, and after four days of barely sleeping, he was fighting to keep his eyes open during practice. He dragged his feet to the breakfast table this morning and somehow made it to the dojo without passing out. Even a shower didn't work when he got up, and being a reptile, a cold one would only make it worse. His mind went from Casey to Don, to back again.

"Yame!"

Master's Splinter's voice rang out, making him sit up a bit straighter, but his eyes started to close again. He yawned while watching Don helped up a grinning Mikey.

"That was so awesome dude!"

Don looked sheepish "Well...it wasn't like you made it easy."

"Course not bro. I'm like a ghost. I'm here then I'm there. You think you see me. But nope I-"

"Boys…" Master Splinter clears his throat with a sparkle in his eyes, and Raph could see both of his little brothers' cheeks turning red as they made their way to the sidelines. "You both did well but Michelangelo you need to rely on more than just your speed. And Donatello, you need to count on more than just disarming your opponent. You may find yourself facing someone with something hidden. Always stay aware."

"Hai Sensei," Don and Mikey said in unison while Raph yawned again. Master Splinter's eyes hadn't left tallest turtle.

"Donatello are you alright? You seem a bit jumpy…"

Don's eyes went wide a moment before quickly shaking his head, "No, no I'm fine. Perfect!" He grinned so wide that Raph wondered if his cheeks hurt.

"If you say so." Their dad didn't sound convinced.

Raph tried to keep his eyes open, watching Don himself. His eyes started closing until a loud ring made him jump, groaning inwardly his eyes narrowed at the gadget echoing in the main room.

"Jeez, dude didn't you get any sleep?" Mikey nudged him.

"What does it look like, dodo brain?" Raph growled, it turned soon into a yawn, and Mikey's hand went over his own mouth, barely containing the loud guffaws behind it.

"Raph it's been four days now. Can't you two make up already?" Leo sighed, and Raph snapped to attention to glare at his older brother.

"Hell no. I'm fine without him" Raph snorted.

"Then can you at least turn your phone on silent, it's annoying. Super-duper annoying." Don added quickly, his finger jerking towards the main room. "That's the 10th time he's called this morning, doesn't he have school?"

"And I couldn't even get my last Z's this morning," Mikey whined.

"Drop it!" Raph yelled, standing up with his eyes narrowed at all three of his brothers. He opened his mouth to say something else until he felt a chill down his back. He swallowed, hearing his dad clear his throat and turned slowly to face him

"Uh…I…"

"It is good to see you so ready to get started, Raphael. You and Leonardo are next. Face each other. No weapons."

Raph nodded, not trying to push his luck as he took his spot in front of Leo. He could already feel sleep take over again as he bowed to his brother. Fighting it, he took a defensive stance.

No weapons. Usually, Raph would be grinning right now to be in his element, but his body disagreed. The first few nights had been rough.

Yesterday was supposed to be his and Casey's night, an agreement just in case they got too busy.

He hadn't seen the bonehead since the fight, and in the end, it drove him up the wall. It was hard to sleep, and he'd stare at the phone sometimes as it rang. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe something was wrong. Did Casey's dad go too far again? Did he need a place to stay?

He growled and reminded himself that Casey had April now. It wasn't his job to look after that idiot, he just had to keep reminding himself that. The reminder didn't stop the swirling emotions or calm the worry he was feeling.

Last night, Raph had to put his phone under a pillow in the corner just so he wouldn't answer. It was too quiet in the room, leaving Raph too much room to think and nod off.

"Hajime!" Splinter's voice rung out. Raph heard his dad, but the image of Casey came to mind and he wondered was the teen coming over tonight.

Casey hadn't just called, he'd come over and ask for him. Each time, his heart would race, his feet moving until he'd hear April's voice. He always turned around back towards his room after that, locking the door and trying to ignore what he was feeling.

Raph felt searing pain and blinked, narrowly dodging the next attack Leo threw at him.

"Raphael, focus!" Splinter called out.

He caught a concerned look from Leo before another kick came, but he managed to block it. He grunted, aiming a fist that landed on nothing. He hissed at the pain to his side, growling at his brother moving around him as he steadied himself.

"Raphael, don't leave yourself open to the enemy. Focus"

"I'm tryin'..." he murmured, feeling annoyed. His limbs felt like lead, and he was having a hard time blocking as Leo's attack continued. He tried launching his own attacks, but nothing was connecting. Thoughts of Casey came again, and he pushed them down quickly.

He took a glance at Don, seeing his brother's leg bounce. The red eyes. Then watching him take out a flask.

 _Focus._ He needed to focus. Don was fine. Right? And no more thinking of Casey or whatever he was doing with April, especially when Leo was practically handing his ass to him.

"Maybe he can't stop thinking about his boyfriend Casey," Mikey said in a sing-song voice, laughing soon after and Raph stiffened.

Raph's head whipped around to face Mikey and tackled his brother to the floor. He wasted little time as he started to twist the arm with him on top of his youngest brother. He twisted a bit further with Mikey yelling.

"It was a joke!" He squirmed under him, but messing with his baby brother was nothing new for Raph.

"Is it funny now, Mikey?" Raph knew the answer but felt tempted to have his brother declare how much better he was. Mikey yelled mercy and Raph continued until a sharp pain, that started off just a pinch, shot through his body, and he could barely move.

"That is quite enough Raphael," Master Splinter's voice was firm.

"Hai...sensei," he tried to get the words out before breathing out when released. His muscles slowly responding as he made his way back to his spot to sit. Mikey moved quickly, and Raph eyed him when he heard a short chuckle come from the orange masked turtle.

"I believe that is enough for this morning's session."

"Hai, sensei, "Raph said in unison with his brothers with each taking a bow. Once he was upright, he stood up to make his way out the dojo.

"Just a moment, Raphael."

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath before taking a quick glance at the exit. His brothers wasted no time clearing the area, and he took a deep breath. He slowly looked up at his dad already knowing the lecture that was coming.

"Yes?" he looked up at him while feeling on edge.

"Remember what I always tell you about your anger. You need to not let it control you. Focus and use it."

"I remember" he felt bad seeing the disappointment in his dad's eyes. "I'm sorry, sensei." he wondered a moment if he should have apologized. It was hard to control his temper, he knew he'd lose it again.

Splinter stroked the thin beard on his furry chin a moment as the whiskers twitched. It reminded Raph of the first time Casey met their dad, and they found out his rat phobia.

 _Damn it, why can't I get him out my head!_

"You seem distracted lately, and I worry."

Raph felt a comforting furry paw touched his shoulder. He wasn't even sure what to say and saying it meant admitting it, but, right now, he did not want to admit that he missed the bone head.

"There is a saying 'A loud cat does not get mice.'"

Raph looked up at his master in confusion, unsure of what he was getting at. He was pretty sure that he wasn't a cat, and he wasn't chasing a mouse.

"It means, my son, how long will you be mad about it and do nothing? " Splinter explained. "I understand many things about friendships. I also realize they are hard to come by. Especially strong ones. "

Raph stood there thinking over that. "Dad, do ya ever…." he thought longer. "Wish ya never met...mom". Raph blinked a moment realizing what he had just called Master Splinter's late wife.

Splinter looked surprised a moment but then smiled as he squeezed Raph's shoulder. "Never. Even knowing her fate or knowing I would lose her. I do not regret my Tang Shen." he said softly before leaving the dojo.

He took out his t-phone and scrolled until coming to the Cs then stopping at Casey's name. His finger hung above Casey's name highlighted. Could he really let Casey go? He took a deep breath before pressing it and bringing the phone to his ear.

"Raph?" the phone barely rang before he heard the sad twinge in Casey's voice.

"Yeah, what's up?" he frowned while thinking the worst.

"Nothin'. Don't worry bout it."

"Come on Case…" he sighed. "My bad on not answerin', aight?"

The other end was silent until he heard a deep sigh, "Game bout to start. Just...I dunno. Everyone else folks here and they friends. Shouldn't even be surprised no more I guess..."

Immediately, Raph felt guilt hit him. He rubbed the back of his neck, not feeling like a good friend at all. April came to his mind, and his thoughts darkened. "What bout April?"

Casey snorted, "She wants me to stop playin' so I can concentrate on school."

Raph felt like his heart stopped. First hockey, then what? He swallowed, scared of the answer as he asked, "Are ya?"

"Hell no! Can ya really see me givin' up hockey, bro?"

"Nah…" He bit his tongue, keeping the rest to himself. He couldn't see Casey giving it up on his own, but how long until he listened to April. He tried to push the thoughts away while thinking over what his best friend said. "Yo, Case where ya game at? Where ya'll usually play at?"

"Yeah…"

He could hear the confusion in Casey's voice, and Raph smirked. "Aight, cool. I'll see ya tonight."

"Wait...Rap-"

"Later bro" he hung up quickly. It'd be so much easier to stay pissed at the bonehead and say fuck it. He was grinning at the plan forming in his mind.

He needed a distraction until tonight, and he felt too wired to take a nap. His stomach growled reminding him of something he could do. He made his way out the dojo and made a face as a smell captured his nostrils. One name came to mind...

 _Mikey_

He went to the entrance with every intention to kill his baby brother as he stepped in the kitchen but paused as the smell assaulting his nose became more pleasant.

"What the hell ya makin?" he glared as the shorter turtle turned and blue eyes looked at him.

"Sup bro?" Mikey talked while putting a spoon in his mouth.

"I know I smelled somethin else earlier. Where the hell is it?" Raph looked around while sniffing wildly.

"Oh, that? I saw this recipe on D's laptop for something called collards."

"You were on Donnie's computer?" he rose a brow at Mikey knowing Don wouldn't allow that in a million years.

"Shhhh! Do ya gotta be so loud?" Mikey looked around as Raph opened his mouth to tell Mikey that he was getting louder. The longer he thought about it, the less he saw the point in trying.

"And those...were collards?"

"Yep."

Raph said nothing, going up to the pot and looking in at the green shreds that looked like leaves. He blinked and glanced at Mikey sporting a wide grin. "Aight then…" Raph shook his head and made his way out.

"Tell the guys to have a big appetite! It's gonna be all soul food yo!"

Raph paused again and wondered whether to bother asking what soul food is. He shook his head again, he'd be happy for edible.

Once out the kitchen, he saw Leo glued to the television. Telling Lameardo anything right now while he was in his Space Heroes trance would be like telling a wall. He kept walking, wondering where Don was. Casey wasn't the only thing keeping him up at night. He thought about it more before rolling his eyes at himself and heading to the lab.

"Yo Don!" Raph knocked, walking inside after hearing a quick reply to come in. As he walked inside, he wasn't surprised to see his brother hunched over his desk. The messy surroundings were new with how Don was compulsive about everything having a place. Different parts and wiring scattered over the desk and floor. He wondered when Mecha would come barreling towards him. His eyes went to Don, his brother's cheeks were sunken with no trace of his purple mask.

"So…where's Mecha?" He asked carefully.

"Off" Don gave a hollow reply, fingers tapping on the desk. His hands shook while grabbing some part that Raph had no clue about.

Raph raised a brow ridge, leaning against the wall. "Ya turned him off? Why'd ya do that? Thought he was like yours and Casey's best bud-"

"I just wanted to!" he snapped, dropping the part. Raph could see his hands shaking, he took a glance at the lab door. Taking a step, he questioned locking it or leaving. With a swift movement, the door was locked, and his eyes were back on Don.

Moving closer to his brother, his snout wrinkled at the stench hitting his nose. Using only his mouth to breathe, he ignored the smell, focusing on his little brother.

"Ain't seen Mikey come in here like he used to…"

Time passed, and he wasn't surprised at the lack of an answer. His eyes looked back at the parts that Don had been fiddling with. Raph wasn't sure what the hell it was going to be, but he was sure that it would soon have "Mikey Do Not Touch" written somewhere on it like everything else in the lab.

 _Aight, that ain't work..._

"What ya workin' on bro?" he looked over Don carefully. He looked smaller in the chair. The wrong shade of green stuck out more under the light overhead.

"A few upgrades for the lair and then I'll work on the security system around the perimeter while widening the range and adding better measures for inside also after…" Don trailed off, and Raph nodded in understanding. The thought of their home being attacked and taken over again was more than any of them could stomach.

Don's head drooped, nearly hitting the desk. Raph nearly missed his brother pulling open a drawer and pulling out a pill bottle. The motion was quick, and he nearly missed his brother taking the pills.

Raph let out a deep sigh, wondering how long this had been going on as he watched Don go back to working after dumping the empty bottle in the trash. His little brother took out a water bottle and took a swig before putting it back.

"Donnie?"

No answer came, his brother was hunched back over the desk. Don overworking himself was nothing new to any of them. There had been plenty of times where he'd wake up in the early morning to go to the bathroom or just be coming home, yet would still see the light from the lab.

Raph watched him before deciding that was enough as he turned his brother's desk chair around.

"Aight Brainiac, bedtime."

"Raph it's barely…" Don glanced at a clock, eyes squinting at the clock then looking back at him. "One 'o clock. You can't expect me to go to bed right now. Besides I'm not even sleepy." Don grinned, and Raph looked at those dark circles under those wide eyes. The longer time passed, the bigger those eyes got along with the grin.

Hell no…

He wasn't leaving Don like this.

"Try." he gave his brother a look, hoping that would be enough. He started to wonder if there was more to it than just wanting the lair safe. His little brother's eyes were bloodshot, and Don rubbed at them as his hands started to shake.

"I can't. There's still plenty to do, an-," Don put a hand over his mouth as another yawn escaped and he frowned, opening his drawer again. Raph moved quickly to shut the drawer back and ignored the annoyed, angry look Don shot at him.

"What the hell, Raph?" His brother yelled with his fist slamming down on the desk and Raph's eyes narrowed. He had no plans of backing down.

"Is this bout April and Casey datin'?"

Don stiffened, averting his eyes quickly. "No. Of course not."

Raph sighed, "Donnie…"

"It's not!"

Raph didn't have the patience for this, taking a deep breath he looked up then back at his brother.

"Well, whatever ya doin' now ain't helping so talk…"

Don stared at him, his eyes frantic a moment as he looked at Raph then away. His breathing shaky before opening his mouth then closing it again. There was tapping on the desk, and Raph could feel what little patience he had slipping.

"Donnie, as great as the back of ya head lo- "

"I just keep feeling like I'm losing her."

Raph went quiet, dull brown eyes stared in his as his brother's head turned. He could hear the clock ticking, he wasn't sure what to do next.

"It's not just about us dating or anything…" Don went on as Raph quietly stood there. "It's...I feel like finally, someone came along who gets me." His brother's smile was wistful, sadness that made him turn away in understanding. "And I'm losing that."

Raph looked back, unsure as he took a step then another. His hand touching his brother's shoulder as he looked up at him. He swallowed at the sight of those brown eyes staring back at him.

"Ya think ya losin' her?" He asked quietly, watching Don's head drop to his chest with a shrug. Wasn't it just a few days ago, Don had seemed so sure? He had quelled Raph's own fears for the moment, or maybe it had been just Don trying to convince himself. Raph couldn't be sure.

"I keep saying it'll be fine."

Raph barely heard him and wondered could the Brainiac now read minds.

"But…" Don's voice cracked, wavering as his hands moved to his face. "But…" His shoulders shook, Raph opened his mouth, watching his little brother stare at his hands then laugh. "It's funny right, you always said we were freakin' mutants."

Raph winced. His brother looked back up at him with a hopeless expression, "I don't know what to do Raphie…just…this…" Don's hand gestured to the lab, a broken smile nearly making him miss the nickname.

Raph glanced to the trash bin seeing coffee cups, cans, and the bottles Don liked to use when they had pills. It was full to the brim, filling him with dread. "What ya been doin' Donnie…" Raph's words were quiet, looking around to find only more cans and bottles.

"You already know…"

The more his eyes searched the room, the more he'd find. Both his hands gripped his brother's shoulders. How many? Just how much?

"It's easier."

Raph's brow ridges furrowed, anger bubbled inside him. "So ya work yaself to death instead?" His grip tightened, shaking the turtle with his head bobbing.

"I don't know what else to do!"

Raph stopped, Don's eyes were on him as he stared at the turtle seated in front of him. Did he need to go get dad? Leo? Was this the answers he wanted? What the hell was he supposed to do? His hands shook, his throat felt dry. Don was still looking at him, his brother needed him. He just needed a few stupid words.

Don's face fell, and Raph felt frustrated. Looking at his brother again, he slipped his arms around the younger turtle, holding him tight against him. Don stiffened, Raph's heart raced. Was this right? He didn't know what else to do but hold him tighter. He glanced to the corner, there was Mecha. Perfectly still.

Don's shoulders were shaking, then he heard the sobs. Deep and wrenching, he rubbed his brother's shell. His shoulder was wet, Don was now limp in his arms, still shaking.

He had to say something...

He had no clue.

He didn't have Leo's plans or Mikey's jokes. Don would complain, but Mikey always bought a smile to the purple masked turtle's face. Leo would at least know what to do. The sounds his brother was making were tearing him to pieces, but there was nothing to fight.

He slid to the floor, moving Don with him as his brother curled up against him. It reminded him of when they were little. Before Don's arms and legs were too long. He had almost forgotten what it felt like for Don to need him like this and not in a fight.

"Ain't no one losin' no one. I just talked to Case today, and the bonehead was talkin' about how April gets on his ass about school…" Raph trailed off pushing down his own insecurities before continuing. "Who else gonna help her kick his ass into gear and listen to her? "

Don choked out a small laugh, "You have a point."

"Mmhm. And besides even if ya did lose her…" he forced Don to look at him, wide watery brown eyes looked back. "It's her loss for losin out on someone as smart and awesome as ya."

Don blinked, staring at his brother until a slow smile took place. His arms went around Raph, "Thank you" He sounded so small, Raph could nearly picture the turtle that used to sneak into his room to get away from the darkness. Mikey would sometimes appear, with him on one side and Don on the other.

"Yeah...well…" Raph's cheeks felt on fire, and he fought the urge to fidget. "You…yeah…welcome" He mumbled. Don hadn't moved, and Raph didn't move either.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed like that, his brother was slumped against him, and he felt exhausted. "Donnie?"

"Hm?"

He chuckled at the sleepy tone and felt bad for waking him up, but Raph needed to get him in bed. "Come on, let's get ya to bed."

"But…" Don slowly lifted his head up, but Raph gave him a hard look.

"Don't wanna hear it." It was Don's domain, but Raph didn't want to hear it. Standing up, he managed to keep Don against him with them both standing.

"Just let me finish with this and the-"

"Nah. Finish later, bed now. Ya look like shit."

"Have you seen yourself lately?" Don mumbled, Raph nearly laughed at the snarky reply.

"Good point, but I don't smell like I look. So, go…"

"And if I don't." Don moved, steadying himself as he glared at Raph. "You don't tell me what I do or don't do!" he snapped.

Raph took a deep breath, reminding himself that this wasn't really Don. "Go Donnie. Now." It came out a growl, more than he meant to. " I can always put ya lights out myself." He smirked, it was an empty threat, but Don folded his arms and started moving toward the exit. His brother's legs wobbled, he was sure Don was more exhausted than him, and it'd be worse later when that stuff was out his system.

"Donnie, need me to…uh… help ya to ya room…"

He paused at the door. "I'm fine." Raph wasn't surprised to hear him say that, yet decided not to push further. "Just promise me one thing Raph…"

"What?", his brow ridge rose while watching his brother's back.

"Don't tell the others..." It was a quiet plea, and Raph wasn't sure if that was such a good idea.

"I…"

"Please." He was begging now, shoulders slumped. "I'm going to get over this. I'll sleep. I won't drink another coffee if that convinces you. No more pills…energy stuff. I won't touch any of it again. Just...please. I don't want them to know…"

"Okay…" He wasn't sure why he agreed to this and prayed he wouldn't regret it. The door opened, and Don cleared his throat, looking back at Raph.

"I'm gettin' out," Raph rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall outside as he watched Don come out then lock up the lab. His eyes stayed on the turtle until he saw Don disappear inside his room. He wondered should he check on him still. It felt wrong to doubt Don, but Raph thought back to all the bottles littering the floor.

"I saw what you did in there…," came a voice from nearby and Raph jumped. He growled inwardly, the last thing he wanted to deal with right now was Leo. His heart raced when he realized what the blue-masked turtle just said.

 _Just keep it cool, Raph…_

"Addin' spyin' to ya list of duties Fearless?" he crossed his, turning to look at Leo. He wondered how much he heard, but if Leo wasn't chasing after Don for an explanation, it was most likely a good sign.

"Very funny." Leo's eyes rolled, standing straight with that pose that annoyed the hell out of him. It made it easier to believe that the three-month coma never happened. That his brother never almost died. One look at his bandaged wrist, hiding his ex-hobby, and the reminder was loud and clear.

Casey was the only one who knew, and he made Raph had promised not to do again. Keeping it was hard sometimes.

"I was coming to ask Don something, but then I heard you guys…" he trailed off and Raph's heart stopped. He made sure to keep his expression nonchalant as his older brother continued. "I didn't want to interrupt, so I stepped away for a bit." Raph nodded, not sure if he was glad or not that Leo hadn't heard. Leo looked towards Don's room, "Is everything okay?"

The truth was on the tip of his tongue, but he promised. He shrugged at Leo, "Just makin' sure he's good. He keeps stuff bottled in too much. What you had to ask him anyway?"

"Pot calling the kettle black" Leo chuckled, and Raph rolled his eyes as Leo continued talking. "I just...remember something Karai said. It keeps bugging me that's all" he shrugged, and Raph could honestly not think of a response to that. His motto when it came to Karai was, "Never trust a snake."

"So…" Leo fidgeted, bringing a hand to the back of his neck as Raph rose a brow ridge. "I umm…" Leo gave a strange laugh, leaving a way for an awkward silence.

Raph looked at his brother, unable to take it anymore. "Thanks for the talk and Mikey says he's makin' soul food," Raph said as he started to walk away. "Later Fearless"

"Raph wait…" Raph stopped, turning his head to look at Leo. "You and Don, you both internalize a lot. He drowns himself in his work. You, well, you look for a fight. As much as I don't agree with it completely, you could be doing way worse things for a release…."

Raph could feel guilt eating him as he absentmindedly touched his wrist. "What's ya point Leo" he really didn't like this conversation.

"Just...You know if you want…" Leo started to fidget again, and Raph wasn't sure what to make of that. "We can go out. Just me and you. Taking on evil doers."

Raph eye ridge rose, feeling a smile trying to take place as he held it in. He was barely keeping a straight face at the phrase evil doers, "Just me and you huh?"

"Yeah, I mean, I noticed that you haven't gone out with Casey in a while…"

Raph nodded and coughed in his hand, trying to hold back a laugh. He wasn't sure which was more hilarious, watching his big brother or hearing this, but the whole thing was giving him a warm feeling.

"I just thought we could you know...um fight crime together. A duo against all evil. "Leo gave a nervous smile, and Raph tried his best not to laugh his ass off. Usually, he wouldn't bother reminding Leo just how lame he just sounded, but that could wait.

"Aight, cool." He smirked, the smile was still threatening to show on his face. "Then after we can smoke and find a place when we get real hungry..." Raph chuckled as Leo's eyes went wide.

"You...don't mean cigarettes do you?" Leo asked slowly, and Raph slowly shook his head no. He watched as his brother folded his arms and lean against the wall in what he guessed was supposed to be Leo's cool pose.

"So ya down?" Raph's head tilted, and Leo pounded his fist against his plastron.

"I'm down with that dawg. For shizzle."

He stared at Leo until he couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing. "It's cool bro. Don't worry bout it." He gave a rare smile that lasted only a moment.

"Oh, thank God," Leo breathed out, "But you know, I'm here if…,"

"I know. Thanks, Leo," Raph nodded and moved past his older brother before pausing, "But do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Whatever book ya got that from, burn it" he laughed more as he kept walking.

Slipping into his room, he looked at the clock on the wall. He let out a yawn before laying on the bed. He felt his eyes growing heavy. Maybe he could try to take a quick nap before Casey's game. He quickly set the alarm before going to sleep.

 _RINNNNNNNG_

Raph jumped up and looked around wildly, picking up his phone to his ear ready to yell at whoever was on the other end. "Yeah?" he rubbed at his eyes, hearing it blare against his ear hole as he pulled it back. He looked confused at the alarm, jumping up at the memory of his promise.

His eyes went to the time after turning off the alarm. Casey's game was in less than an hour. He rushed through the clothes that Casey had stuffed in his drawers. Wearing a trench coat to a high school hockey game didn't sound like a good idea to him.

He quickly pulled on the baggiest pants he could find with an oversized hoodie and shirt. For a moment he looked at the bandana before pocketing it and going for the door. Quickly he stopped and looked under the bed.

Finding shoes for their feet was near to impossible, but Raph took it on himself after seeing a pair of sneakers on tv to try to make some. It had taken many sleepless nights and lots of hiding material and scraps, but he did it.

Putting on the shoes quickly, he stood up and made his way to the door while wondering about money. Two steps and he tripped. He growled and looked down to see a small cooler. If not for noticing a note with Mikey's chicken scratch on it, he would have tossed it.

He pulled off the note and started reading.

 _You missed lunch, but it's cool. I packed it all up for you. :D_

 _Didn't want you hungry when you wake up._

 _Love ya bro!_

Raph stared at the cooler then picked it up as he quietly started walking. The sound of fighting from the dojo reached his ears. Training was important, but so was this.

The moment he was out the lair, Raph still didn't breathe easy. He kept going, using the shadows and making turns in the sewer tunnels until going up the surface. He still didn't feel it was time to relax, yet he took a deep breath once he was up the fire escape and on the roof. The farther he got, it would be less likely he would get caught. He could still remember the lecture from when they found out him and Casey would go to the movies.

He checked the time on his phone before he started to move. He kept a grip on the cooler as he ran and jumped from building to building. He stopped, feeling sure heard something he looked at a familiar building and down below was some homeless girl digging in the trash. Her brown hair was dingy and matted, she looked like she'd seen tough times.

He looked at his cooler, the decision to give her something that wasn't spoiled and covered in flies was in his head. He looked up to make his way there, and she was already gone. He looked around again, he didn't have time to look for her. With one more look, he took off, not stopping until he was at the right place.

He looked down at all the cars while breathing heavy. Was he really going to do this? He took a deep breath before looking at a vent and prying it off. He could already hear a million lectures Leo would give before he went through the vent. Going to a dark movie theater was one thing, this was a hockey game with even more people.

Once inside, it had taken him awhile to find a good way to not only get with the crowd but blend into it. His eyes scanned the area as he kept his head down while hoping no one would check him for anything. He saw a large group of people going towards an area and decided to follow while hoping it was to the right place.

Raph was surprised. The whole thing was surreal, and he tried to keep calm even as some people brushed against him. His eyes scanned the area, feeling glad for his hoodie for not just hiding but keeping him warm.

He looked for a place to sit and made his way close to the back, it was one of the few spots with very few people around. Sitting down, he put the cooler next to his feet while his eyes darted around.

He saw the teams. Heard the chants. But the moment the game started his eyes were only on Casey. He grinned while watching the way his best friend moved on the ice before realizing this was the first time he actually saw Casey play.

The smells of the place hit his nose, and he was reminded of the cooler. Opening it, he breathed in the new smells. Hoping that his baby brother wouldn't have him dying at a hockey rink. On the plate were yams, greens, chicken, and cornbread. He sniffed it first while making sure he could eat in peace. With one bite of the chicken, then some greens. Raph was in love as he scarfed down the rest of his food.

He nearly frowned once it was gone, licking his fingers as another cheer rang out around him.

He cheered and booed with the rest of the fans once the cooler was closed. The feeling was electric as stood to his feet with others. He watched the crowd move, and it looked like an ocean as he joined in. He looked at the clock noticing the end was near and sat on the edge of his seat as Casey stole the puck and swung his stick to take the shot.

Raph rose to his feet, holding his breath while ignoring the loud gasp of the crowd. The clock ticked. Time stilled. And…

"SCORE!"

"Hell yea, Casey!" Raph didn't even realize he was screaming. He saw Casey's team pick him up and his head turned and looked straight at him. He looked back and saw the gap-toothed grin that he was sure was at him. Raph turned away, feeling his cheek heat up and rolled his eyes about the bonehead before he quickly slipped away.

Getting out of there was harder than getting in he found out. But eventually, he made a way and found a spot near the building no one was really frequenting. He had thought of just going straight home, but something stopped him.

"Raph!"

He looked up hearing his name and watched Casey come closer. Was it smart to still be here? He looked around, wary of the people around until looking at Casey, his smile was bright and Raph forgot everyone else. He was about to tell him how much of an idiot he looked right now but was surprised to find himself engulfed in a tight hug. His heart started to race.

"Casey…"

"Ain't think you'd really come…" Casey mumbled, but his arms hadn't moved from around him. Raph really didn't want him to, swallowing he let out a chuckle.

"Course I did bonehead" he wasn't sure what else to say. His throat was dry, and the words were stuck.

"He didn't" Casey snorted before finally pulling away. Raph ignored the feeling, sliding his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie as he listened. "But ya know what…" Casey's hands were curling into fists, his face made a sneer" Who the fuck needs him. I'm good. Hell, I'm the best out there. Ya saw that shot I just made" Casey pointed towards the building. "So, fuck him. Cuz one day I'm going pro. Gonna get my own place and take Izzy with me…."

Casey suddenly stopped pacing, his form shaking and Raph swallowed. He moved in closer, Casey was talking so low he could barely hear it. "I don't need him…" He saw wet streaks staining Casey's cheeks and the anguish in his best friend's eyes. "I... he didn't even bother to show up..."

Raph could feel his own anger at the situation. A bigger part of him wanted to go to Casey's house and beat the crap out of Casey's father, but he couldn't leave Casey like this. He knew Casey wouldn't want anyone seeing him like this.

He stepped closer, Casey's eyes went to him, and Raph smirked. "Guess I'll just have to come to all ya games then."

"Ya don't gotta do that."

"I know. But someone's gotta see how bad ya look out there and remind ya" he joked, watching some of the light return to the teen's eyes made it hard to not come closer.

"Fuck you, man. I never miss. No one would want me to." Casey laughed, and Raph couldn't help laughing with him.

"I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure the bozo whose teeth ya took out last week wished ya missed. I mean damn Jones. But ya right, only you could make shots like that. "Raph grinned, unable to help it.

"Damn right" Casey smirked. "So, all my games huh?" he chuckled, coming closer to Raph. "Won't ya get in trouble for that?" He was so close, and Raph found it hard to think. He took a step back, looking away a moment.

"Don't worry bout it, bone head. I got it" Raph said quickly while picturing all the ways his dad would kill him if he got found out. He looked back at Casey and swore that gap-toothed grin might be his favorite smile.

"The feels!" Casey fake swooned, and Raph rolled his eyes at the idiot.

"Why I'm ya friend again?" Raph asked with a snort, then starting to walk away. He could hear Casey following, his presence not far behind.

"That's shit is easy" Casey laughed.

"Oh, yea? Then why Jones?" Raph prepared himself for what he was sure would be a dumb joke.

"Cuz ya love me" Casey laughed, but Raph stiffened. Stopping in his tracks as Casey brushed by him and looked back with a wink.


	6. Best Friend Problems

**Note** : I don't own TMNT. This is set in TMNT 2012 but has other elements of other universes pulled in. Okay, by now I hope you guys realize this is a Raph/ Casey story lol. But I will continue to warn. This story contains some dark themes such as a caffeine addiction, self-harm, and implied child abuse. None of those are good, so will not be glorified or glossed over.

 **To** Xahraxs: Lots of ugly and angst LOL

 **To SuperNovaWolf** : Yeah, Leo is his own type of "cool". lol And yes there's alot going on. everyone has there own lives, issues and etc.

Thank you for the reviews, it lets me know you guys are actually reading this!

* * *

"Damn it!" Raph rubbed his temples as the phone rang again. "Donnie, can't ya just add a mute button to this thing?"

"It does have one, but he's using the emergency setting …" Don's fingers were moving fast across the keyboard of his laptop.

"Then give that a mute button…"

"So, you can "forget" to turn the volume back up?" Leo said with a pointed look thrown at him. "Answering the phone is always an option. You know. Like. Now."

"If I didn't know better I'd think ya don't trust me, big brother" Raph smirked.

"You I trust, but there's your pride…" Leo began.

"Your bravado" Don chimed in.

"Your impulsiveness..."

"And Leo don't forget his temp-"

"One more word and I smack the both of ya until I feel better!"

"So, does that mean he's never stopping?" Don faked a whisper to Leo with a snicker.

"That's it!" Raph jumped up and laid on top of Don and Leo.

"Raph, off!" Leo yelled from under him.

He only smirked as he laid down, and wiggled his body.

"You're too heavy!" Don quickly put his hands up, and Raph could feel hands on his shell.

"What ya say? I can't hear ya'll!" Raph laughed as he got up but only to fall back down on them. A loud "Raph!" sounded off from under him from both his brothers before he finally got up.

"Oh, damn. What ya'll doing under there. Ya shoulda said somethin' " Raph smirked while going back to his spot. The phone started to ring again, and Raph was close to throwing the thing at a wall.

"This can't go on Raph...either you answer the phone or I can answer it."

"I'd love to see ya try, Fearless" Raph snorted and continued to let it ring. He concentrated harder on the comic book in his hand while ignoring how Mikey's music booming from his headphones. Finally, the ringing stopped before starting back up again.

"Can't he pretend he cares about school?" Don yawned. "Preferably for the next eight hours…"

"If Raph would just answer his phone…."

"I ain't the one making folk patrol while dead tired." Raph tried not to feel guilty from keeping Don up since his brother seemed to be trying.

"We wouldn't even be dead tired if someone would just answer their phone" Leo gave a long exhale as he squinted his eyes at Raph.

"My phone. My business." Raph snapped at his older brother and ignoring the phone while he gritted his teeth.

"That would be great if it wasn't messing with all of us. And you not having it during patrol isn't good strategy. What if something happens to you?"

"With the way ya been practically on my ass every night?" Raph glanced over to Leo on the couch.

"If your phone wouldn't go off every two seconds, I wouldn't have to be practically on your…" Leo paused, and Raph's lips twitched as he kept his eyes on the blue-masked turtle.

"My?" Raph couldn't help the devilish smirk forming.

"Your ass" Leo glared, but Raph started laughing.

"Bro, that's worse than when Don once said to let him be the badass for once."

"Hey!" Don pulled his laptop back over to him as the phone rang again before a collective groan.

Leo let out a heavy sigh after moving a hand over his face. "Can't April talk to him?" he started to flip the channels on the TV with his finger steadily tapping on the channel button.

"She tried…" Don talked as he yawned. "He said, and I quote 'I ain't stoppin' until he answers."

Raph slowly looked over at the purple-masked turtle holding a laptop.

"You both can stop staring at me now. Slang isn't difficult..."

Raph snorted. "Tell that to Leo"

"Last I checked our lives don't depend on me being cool" Leo folded his arms.

"Good thing too."

Leo eyed him before looking over at Don, "You found out anything?"

Don slouched over and pushed his laptop to the side with his head in his hands. "About the warehouse attacks? The ones Karai told you about?"

"Karai told ya something and we actually believin' it?"

"We're looking into it." Leo gave Raph a look.

"Yeah, it ain't like she's never betrayed us…"

"You're one to ta-"

"Don't." Raph leveled Leo with a glare. He could already tell where he was going with that sentence. He could still feel the hurt feeling from Mona's betrayal. It got harder to remind himself he forgave her. Leo went quiet as the phone rang again.

Don looked between the two of them before speaking up "I've been looking up footage, covering crime reports and other ways to find information." he started rubbing his temples. "But so far no one's been even in those locations…"

"What do you mean" Leo exhaled as the phone rang.

"Those warehouses she gave you were abandoned…"

"So, she lied. Nothin' new." Raph shrugged at the information while ignoring the look Leo was giving him.

"Not necessarily. I checked further, and there are locations nearby that have had break-ins. And they're all old buildings the Krang were using."

"Then we need to look into it. I'll touch base with Karai tonight." Leo said with a red tinge to his cheeks that had Raph looking at his brother curiously.

"We're comin' with."

"Raph, Karai and I are just going to talk."

"Exactly" he snorted.

"Guys, I don't ne-I mean..." Leo's cheeks started to turn a darker crimson. Raph leaned back and looked at Leo with a rose brow ridge before the blue-masked turtle sighed. "Fine. But we go in the evening."

"I thought all your meetings with Karai were around midnight?" Don's head tilted to the side while looking at Leo.

"If ya just tryin' to meet up with ya girlfriend, just let us know now so we can keep our innocence."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Leo suddenly shouted, and Raph just looked at him.

"For the sake of ya dignity I'm gonna pretend I believe ya." he looked over at Don while ignoring Leo's mouth gaping. "Any clue where she gonna be? Doubt she'll be where ever they meet if we goin' early."

"Well, I could try but…" Don eyed the ringing phone. "Someone seems to be overcome by testosterone, so I'm not able to concentrate."

Raph narrowed his eyes while trying to figure out was that an insult or not. "What do ya mean?"

"That if this is a show of machismo can you do it tomorrow?" Don smiled, but Raph swore he could see an impish look behind it.

"Or ya can make the mute button…" Raph snorted as his grip tightened on the comic with each ring.

"Leo already told you why…"

"Why would I care what Leo says!" he glared.

"Maybe because I'm right?" Leo looked over at him. "This is..." Leo shook his head. "It's just stupid…"

"Then fine." Raph stood up and slammed down the phone on the table instead of having it on him. "Better for ya Leo? It can just stay here all night."

"So, you can drive Master Splinter crazy too? I'll just answer it…" Leo reached for the phone, and Raph quickly threw a sai between it and Leo's hand before he picked up his phone.

"Was that necessary?" Leo glared.

"Yep," Raph emphasized the "p" and put the phone back in his lap after sitting down.

"Well can someone answer it?" Don mumbled as silence filled the room.

"Guys I think it…" Don began.

 **RIIIIING**

"Stopped…" Don finished with a sigh, and Raph picked up the comic that fell to the floor, narrowing his eyes at the words.

"That's it! I can't take it anymore! Raph answer the freaking phone!"

Raph looked up from his comic to see his usually sweet baby brother glaring at him with bloodshot blue eyes, and could feel Leo and Don stare in their direction.

"Mik-"

"It won't stop ringing! It just rings. And rings! And rings! I want to sleep! I can't hear my games! The Tv! The postman!"

"The postman?" Don echoed.

"And worse of all I can't hear Ice cream kitty!" Mikey stomped his foot before crossing his arms with a loud huff.

"Mik-" Raph opened his mouth to say something.

"What's that? Can you hear me now Raph? Can you hear me now?" Mikey started poking him with each word. "How about now? Now? Now?"

"Mikey I swear if ya…" he started to growl.

"I can't hear you!" he shouted right in Raph's ear. "I'm too busy ignoring you!" Mikey moved a finger to poke him again, but Raph grabbed it.

"Aight I'll answer it!"

"Good" Mikey grinned as he snatched back his finger and walked off leaving Raph blinking after him. _What the hell just happened?_ His eyes looked down as the phone started ringing again.

"Um...I think you should answer it." Don spoke up.

Raph rolled his eyes, looking down at his phone before getting up and going to his room. He took a deep breath, leaning against the door then regretting it the moment his eyes fell on the bed.

 _"_ _Mind if I stay over?" Casey glanced at him._

 _"_ _It's cool."_

 _"_ _Ya sure? Or ya just want me there to kiss ya booboos that Leo gonna give ya for sneaking out to see me?" Casey laughed, but Raph felt a shiver go up his spine._

He groaned at the memory from last week. Nearly opting to sit on his floor as he stared at the phone.

 _Lips against his neck, brushing against his skin and making him go crazy as he let out a low moan. He could feel a hand on his plastron, a body curled up against his own._

 _"_ _Raph…"_

 _He took a glance behind him, sleep still in his eyes as he tried to maneuver himself. He wanted to stay in those arms, it felt good to be held. So, damn good. He rubbed his eyes, them falling on dark hair and Casey's face as they widened in realization._

 _Ca-Ca-Casey?_

He still couldn't believe he woke up in his best friend's arms. _We sure as hell didn't go to sleep like that. What the hell is wrong with me?_ He rubbed his face, not wanting to think of that or how Casey pressed himself more against him in his sleep. He also knew from experience how Casey could wake up some mornings, with his part of the bed tented. Raph would tease him mercilessly about it. Yet this time…

Raph could feel his cheeks burning, and wanted to turn his own brain off at the memory of it pressed against him. That had been one week and many risky cold showers ago. His brothers thought they never actually made up yet.

He just couldn't look at Casey after that.

Casey's ringtone blared again, and he sat on the floor while looking down at the phone feeling unsure what to do. Taking a deep breath, he answered it. "Sup?"

"Raph!" The frantic answer startled him as he pictured Casey littered with bruises that he could have prevented. More cigarette burns. Missing teeth. Gashes. Marks. "Ya there?"

"Yeah." he breathed out. "Hey, Case."

"Hey, Case? Bro, I been callin' ya ass like crazy, and all I get is that?"

"Ain't my fault ya been callin' like an ex-girlfriend" he tried to steady his breathing while listening carefully to Casey's voice.

"That's real cute" Casey snorted, and Raph thought that he'd just have to ask the bonehead was everything okay.

"Whatever. Are y-"

"Can we talk?"

Raph went silent, caught off guard by the question before mumbling. "We are talkin'..."

"Ya know what I mean. I'm comin' over. No runnin."

"Now?" Raph looked at his clock. "Ain't you s'ppose to be in school?"

"Bro…"

"Yeah, dumb question." Raph snorted while thinking it was a miracle anytime Casey went to class from what he heard from April and what he knew of Casey. He remembered April saying she was Casey's tutor once. Was she still? He barely asked Casey about school.

"Later man."

"Yeah," Raph hung up and drummed his fingers on his thigh while feeling some tension leave. He glanced towards the wall separating his and Mikey's room. Rubbing his scalp, he got up and left his room to make his way to Mikey's.

He could hear a sci-fi show from the main room and felt sure Don and Leo too much in it to pay him any attention right now. Going up to Mikey's door Raph held up a fist to knock, looking back towards the main room one more time just in case.

"Sup bro! Come in! Me suitcase, su suitcase" Mikey grinned as opened the door suddenly and Raph stared at him a moment. He opened his mouth to correct Mikey then changed his mind.

"I just…uh…" Raph walked in slowly and nearly tripped over a pizza box. He took one look down and wasn't even sure where the floor was anymore. "Mikey, do ya even clean the room?"

"Like a turtle do, bruh" Mikey laughed. "See I gotta system. All the cool stuff is here. All the not as cool stuff goes here. And then the sorta cool stuff over there. And then you g-"

"Aight, aight. I just wanted to say…uuh thank you. So just…" Raph mumbled. "Go back to whatever it was you was doing." He could feel Mikey's eyes on him and hear the squeal that came with the sudden hug. "MIKEY!"

"Anytime, bro" Mikey laughed, letting Raph go. Raph shook his head, leaving and hearing the door close behind him. He looked back at Mikey's door carefully a moment. If he didn't know better, he would think Mikey planned all that and was smarter than they gave him credit for.

 _But it's Mikey…_

He scratched his head and went back to his room, glancing at the bed. Tearing his eyes from it, he grabbed a blanket and pillow and got on the floor for a nap.

Raph was always sure that the only things that could startle him awake would be an explosion or a bigger explosion. There were other things farther down the list, but those were the top two. A smell wasn't on the list.

He pulled the pillow over his head and tried smothering his face with it. The smell still seeped in, and with a groan he threw it to the side. Getting up, he had every intention to kill whoever created the stench as he left his room. Anyone this evil deserved death.

Following the smell to the kitchen, he felt thankful it hadn't got worse as he got closer. He wrinkled his snout, and his ears were the next assaulted from the sound of a cat wailing and the sound of Mikey singing with it. _There's no way in hell I'm goin' in there…_

His t-phone started to buzz, and he looked down at a message.

 **C: U home? Need anythin'?**

Raph rolled his eyes as he read it. Raph didn't want to be home, but it wasn't for the reasons that Casey was probably thinking. He stepped farther from the kitchen as he replied.

 **R: Some real food. I'll meet ya somewhere.**

It wasn't long before the phone buzzed again.

 **C: Mikey cookin'?**

Raph glanced towards the kitchen, able to see pots and pans scattered everywhere. Food on the stove and more stuff on the counters. Then in the middle of it all was Mikey in the chef hat April got him with a spoon to his mouth singing with a meowing ice cream kitty with the freezer door opened.

 _Def not going in…_

Raph quickly kept moving before sending another text.

 **R: Yep.**

 **C: He said he was. Something about puttin' all ya favs together…**

Raph reread the text that Casey had just sent to make that sure he got it right. His baby brother was doing this for him. He cursed under his breath while thinking of all the ways he could possibly get out of this. An image of big blue eyes with tears came up, and he groaned.

A crying Mikey wasn't something that he wanted to cause or deal with. He could still remember the time when they hurt the usually happy turtle feelings and not only did he run away but ended up with human-hating frogs. It turned out okay but knowing Mikey, he might join a circus next. Then with their luck, they'd have to deal with a guy with an eye patch and his demon butler.

Raph let out a sigh, then felt his eyes narrowing as he read over the text again. His fingers were typing before he could think with his thumb slamming down on the send button.

 **R: Ya'll talk?**

He gripped the phone in his hand, his mind coming up with the image of Casey and Mikey texting all night.

 **C: We chill sometimes. Me n D 2.**

Raph snorted before looking over at Don and Leo still watching their sci-fi whatever. He glared at the back of Don's head with a growl.

 **R: Leo 2?**

He quickly pressed send and squinted his eyes at the phone, willing Casey's name to pop up. Soon as it did, he read the text.

 **C: Leo? U serious? U gonna ask if I talk to Irma 2?**

He rolled his eyes, not bothering with a reply and trying to push down the emotions he was feeling on his way to the TV area. He went to his bean bag and plopped down. Looking at the screen and then at Leo and Don. They had a bowl of popcorn between them and were mechanically putting pieces in their mouth with their eyes fixed on the screen.

Raph looked back at the screen and wondered should he give it a chance. It wasn't Space Heroes so it couldn't be that bad. He let himself settle back and watch the show, his annoyance slowly growing as it went on.

One more hour in and he never wanted to meet anyone named Spock. It was also hard to ignore, his two brothers rambling about the show next to him.

"Remember the part where he…" Leo started while grabbing Don's shoulder and started gushing on about some scene.

"I know! And then he…" Don's rambling started to mix in, and Raph was sure he was going to lose his mind if this continued.

"Can't ya'll go somewhere else with that?" He interrupted them.

"Raph, I thought you would have liked Star Trek" Leo laughed.

"Especially with the explosions, the weapons, th-"

"Dorks that talk like ya'll?

Leo rolled his eyes, "Come on, Don. Someone's still cranky" he chuckled as he got up and Don got up to follow.

"I am not cranky!" Raph yelled.

"My mistake. I meant grumpy." Leo chuckled as he and Don left while Raph started growling. He stopped once he was looking at Don. So far it seemed like his little brother was handling it like he said which eased a lot of Raph's worry.

He quickly grabbed the remote, trying to ignore the smell from the kitchen. He hoped that this creation of Mikey's was nothing like the P-shake or that soup he spiced up. Whoever made the phrase "Allow your imagination to go crazy" never met his baby brother.

He heard footsteps behind him. He listened to the heaviness of the footfall and the stride length, then relaxed as he picked out a movie.

"Surprised ya here still."

The footsteps stopped, and Raph shrugged at the owner of the voice. "You and me both, Jones."

"That smell is somethin' else." Casey laughed, jumping over the sofa and landing next to him.

"Don't remind me…" The thought of eating whatever had been stinking up the kitchen had Raph's stomach already bubbling in disagreement.

"Aw, I always knew ya loved ya baby brot-Ow! Damn man!" Casey rubbed his arm, still laughing though Raph knew his fist had to hurt.

"Planet of the Apes? Really?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Oh nothin', giant mutant animals takin' over the world and rulin' over all humans. Oh by the way, Can ya get us some popcorn? Or I need to say, please master?"

"Shut it, Jones" Raph laughed and could pretend that the other night didn't happen. He went to get the popcorn, throwing the bowl into Casey's lap as he sat back down. After the movie was over, Raph was still happily rooting for the giant monkeys over the hairless monkeys known as humans.

"You pick next." Raph glanced at the other teen before Casey got up and looked through the movies.

"How about this one?"

"Isn't that the one that's s'pposed to be so scary it got outlawed in a bunch of places?"

"Yeah," Casey started to grin.

"Perfect." Raph laughed until he glanced at Casey as he sat back down after putting in the movie.

Raph reached his hand into the bowl of popcorn then felt a hand against his. He quickly looked up at Casey, looking away as his face started to heat up and he quickly moved his hand.

 _Damn it…_ His heart wouldn't stop racing.

"Raph…" Casey began and Raph stiffened, keeping his eyes on the TV screen. He stole a glance in Casey's direction, catching the human move a hand through messy dark hair then at his hands. The motion made Raph scowl.

"They the same fucked up hands ya had yesterday, bonehead." Raph watched Casey's head snap up.

"Fuck you, man!" Casey let out a nervous laugh while still not looking in Raph's direction, "Just ..." Raph prayed to whoever would listen that Casey wouldn't bring that night up. "My bad on bringing up Mona. Shouldn't did that. That's ya girl and..." Casey drummed his fingers against his thigh. "I respect that."

Raph blinked, he hadn't even thought about that fight and merely shrugged, "It's cool. Don't worry about it."

He didn't want to talk about Mona. If he had to admit it to himself, sometimes he wasn't even sure where he and Mona stood.

"What ya mean don't worry about it? I spent more than a week tryin' to figure out how to say this shit!"

"Ya tellin' me that over a week," Raph started to laugh. "this ya best? I hope ya never fight with April. Cuz that's just sad" Raph started to smirk while Casey glared at him in his best "Fuck you" look. It didn't bother Raph until he honestly wondered if April could handle it, the thought was killed his mood immediately.

"So ya really cool about Mona? No more ignorin' my phone calls?"

"Huh?"

"Jus I thought ya forgave me since ya showed up at my game. But then ya did it again so I thought…"

Raph looked away, he had no intention of correcting him and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm good."

"You two cool, right?"

Raph stared at Casey, hearing the strain in his voice and realizing this had been the longest they talked about him and Mona. It was weird, and he didn't like it.

"I guess it's cool since Mona's another reptile." Raph mentally slapped himself for calling her Mona again. He wasn't sure if he could break the habit.

"Amphibian."

"What?" Raph looked over at Casey confused.

"She ain't a reptile. She's an amphibian. Damn bro, ya say ya wanna date a newt, but don't look up shit bout the species. Read a book." Casey smirked.

"Soon as ya go to school for a full day," Raph gave him a look as he watched Casey shudder.

"Not even funny," Casey rolled his eyes. "But ya really okay? What if ya never see her again? I mean ya could be in a relationship with that phone thing ya'll got forever."

"I know." he held back a sigh. He didn't tell Casey how her betrayal had done a number on how he felt about her. He cared about her still, but every time he looked around he saw everything he could have lost because of her.

"Ya know if…ya wanna talk about her..."

He pushed the thoughts away and looked over at Casey. He could hear the forced speech and shook his head. _This shit is already weird…_ "I'm good. Besides, it's like ya said. Ya hit me all the time. Even though they some sorry ass punches." Raph smirked and didn't bother to block when Casey swung at him.

He rubbed the spot, laughing as Casey leaned against him. Shoulder to shoulder.

"But far as April go, fight with her about what?" Casey snorted.

"I dunno" Raph shrugged, and he did a quick look over Casey though his best friend was covered up as usual. He tried to see if there was anything out the ordinary. He wondered did April know. Maybe Casey wanted to hide out at her place instead of his. He ignored the pained feeling in his chest.

"If anythin' I'm tired of hearing her talk about D," Casey laughed, and his voice went high-pitched. "Gee, I wonder what Donnie is doing? You think he's alright, Casey? Just wait a sec Casey, I need to call, Donnie."

Raph's brow ridges furrowed. "Wait...Why she's talking about my brother?"

"Ya didn't know?" Casey looked over at Raph with a raised brow. "Her and D got real close before me and her did."

"How ya know?" Raph looked at him. He remembered what Don told him and he knew that after the Turtle racer his brother and best friend were cool. He still doubted they were in line for the bestie award. At least that's what he kept telling himself.

"I'm Casey Jones. I can tell. Besides, I saw that kiss she laid on him at the farm, and I was already backing off anyway." Casey shrugged.

"Why ya backed off?"

"Cuz it'd be like me goin' after Mona Lisa."

The statement had him staring at Casey, and how he had to hold his brother after finding out his caffeine addiction. "Then why date her!" Raph glared.

"I…" Casey started, but Raph wasn't done.

"Ya think this ain't hurtin' my brother? What the hell ya'll pullin'? Ya gonna snap him back and forth then laugh?"

"It ain't like that! And I know she still gotta thing for him."

The room went silent, and Raph was trying to have faith. Casey picking on Don wasn't new, but this was much worse. He could tell Casey had a reason, maybe something Raph wasn't seeing, but all he could see right now was that pain in Don's eyes.

"That's still low, Casey." Raph murmured, his emotions had gone into so many damn directions he felt drained.

"It's...complicated" Casey mumbled, and Raph stared. His temper boiled, and Don kept appearing in his head.

"Then un-complicate it cuz this my little brother!" Raph was so close to hitting him.

"I can't!" Casey yelled as he stood up and started pacing the floor. He stopped with his back turned, and his shoulders slumped.

"Is somethin' wrong with me?" the question was quiet and had Raph blink at the sudden change.

"What?"

"Is somethin'..." Casey breathed. "Is somethin' wrong with me?"

Raph kept an eye on the human before repeating "What?"

"Is it?" Casey turned to face him, his eyes were steady on Raph as though there was something he wasn't getting.

"Is what?" Raph was trying to keep up and didn't get Casey at all right now.

"Is somethin wrong with me? I mean…" Casey's hands slipped into the pocket of his hoodie, averting his eyes from Raph as he started to fidget. "I mean if you were a chick…would ya be into me?"

 _What?_ Raph could barely think straight.

"Raph?" Casey's eyes were back on him, but Raph remained speechless as the question kept repeating itself in his head. He could hear a clock ticking, and the floor wasn't being kind enough to swallow him.

.

"Is... this a serious question?" Raph was glad he was sitting down right now as he kept looking at his best friend.

"I…" Casey quickly looked away then laughed, moving a nervous hand. "It's no big deal, bro. Just askin' cuz April keep mentionin' D, and so I was just wonderin' if you was in her shoes. Uh…what would ya do…or somethin'." Casey shrugged and grinned, but it looked forced and didn't reach the teen's eyes.

"Did ya smoke somethin?" Raph scratched his head.

"Ya seriously askin' me that?"

"Says the dude askin' me to put myself in April's shoes! Do ya hear yaself Casey? You askin' me crazy shit like that after basically tellin me you fucked over my brother's feelings with the chick. You won! What's there to even ask? She's with you!" Raph's hands shook, and he forced himself to not curl them into a fist.

"Its…" Casey stared at him, his eyes seemed to be pleading as he kept talking. "I'm trying to tell ya that…"

"That's enough, Casey." He looked at him, wanting this conversation to be done. He wasn't feeling like a good brother right now. He should be kicking his ass for hurting Don, but it was Casey. He rubbed a hand down his face, fighting every urge to pound the guy in front of him. "I don't know what the hell ya pullin' or doin. But ya need to stop. Cuz I promise ya, if ya don't…" he trailed off in an unspoken promise, and Casey's face fell.

Raph looked away, he didn't get it. What the hell else did he want? Don was hurt enough. Was there some part he wasn't understanding?

Casey's voice was a strange whisper, "Ya right. My bad. Shouldn't asked that" He was shaking, and Raph could hear the edge in the teen's voice as he moved to sit down next to Raph.

Close, but far enough where Casey wasn't touching him anymore.

Raph looked at him, he was trying to figure Casey out as he saw the teen's head stayed bowed. He sighed, his brother would always come first. "Case, you're my best friend. But…" he thought of those tearful red-brown eyes.

"No worries, bro. I get it" Casey's laugh was hollow to Raph's ears, and he wasn't sure what to say next.

"What you expect me to say Case?"

He watched Casey's hands curl into fists on his thighs. "I…" the sound was choked out, and Casey's head snapped up, looking at him with an expression so raw and pained, then suddenly Casey's face showed nothing but a smirk. Raph could almost believe he never saw it.

"Nothin', don't worry bout it." Casey shrugged, looking back at the screen.

Raph nodded, "Still don't get why ya still date her still. It's fucked up…"

"It's complicated…" Casey's laugh sounded bitter to his ears leaving Raph confused.

Casey had what he wanted even though it was hurting Don. Raph was struggling to keep a lid on his rage. The human had no reason to sound like this.

"Yeah, whatever." Raph stopped talking about it and looked at the TV instead. It didn't make sense, and he doubted it ever would.

"So…" Casey broke the silence that fell over. "Which one of these idiots ya think gonna die first."

Raph turned his head and spotted the smirk. "I dunno, Jones." _Maybe shit is normal now…_

"Wanna take bets?"

"Sounds good to me." Raph grinned and pointed. "That guy over there. He drove 'em, he's gonna forget his keys or some shit."

"Nah, it's gonna be sexy ova there" Casey laughed.

"How ya figure?"

"Cuz horror movies hate boobs" Casey smirked, and Raph burst out laughing. The silence was gone, and they both started eating out the popcorn bowl again. Taking bets while giving their own commentary about the movie.

Raph stuffed more popcorn in his mouth, but couldn't stop one thing from bothering him. Their shoulders still weren't touching.


	7. Ninja Teenagers, Horrible Superheroes

Note: I don't own TMNT.

Okay so...

 **SuperNovaWolf** : Yep, it was Casey's idea sorta. lol He didn't really expect Raph to do it, just a passing thing.

 **Silverfox22** : Thank you again! It means alot! It's hard to tell if anyone is reading or liking it lol.

Warnings: implied child abuse, self-harm, and caffeine addiction. Also, there's the fact this is a Raph/Casey pairing. Please keep all this in mind!

* * *

"Woohoo!"

"Mikey what part of ninja ya don't get!" Raph yelled as the tails of an orange mask flew behind his baby brother on the rocket-powered skateboard.

"Still cranky, Raph?" Leo chuckled from beside him before skating a bit ahead of him on his board.

"I'm not cranky," Raph growled as he kept running.

"You're not wearing your skates?" Don asked while passing him by on his board.

"No." Raph almost narrowed his eyes as he pushed himself harder.

"But you always wear your skates." Don had stopped moving, and Raph bypassed him not bothering with a response.

He just focused on moving and keeping up with his brothers on their wheels. His stomach turned as he made a jump, and he tried hard to ignore it as the feeling got worse with each leap. Leo pulled off a flip on his board, and if not for his stomach he'd show he could do better, even without wheels.

"Raph are you okay? You look a bit green…" Leo stood still as Raph skidded to a stop to stare at his older brother.

"I mean greener than usual." Leo rolled his blue eyes, and Don rolled to a stop.

Raph quickly looked around as his two brothers gathered around him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Mikey continuing to do more tricks and not coming towards them.

"Keep it down will ya," Raph muttered while his eyes followed the orange masked turtle in the air with Leo and Don following his gaze.

"If you puke, I'm pretty sure the jig is up." Leo teased, but Raph noticed the strained tone as Leo's eyes didn't stray off him.

"Yeah, yeah" he groaned, trying not to bend over as he took deep breaths of air.

"Raph" Leo moved over to him, and he felt his brother's hand on his back. "Just relax for a sec."

He closed his eyes feeling sweat beading on his forehead, "Stop worryin'." He mumbled but didn't move from his brother as he leaned against him slightly. His stomach started to churn more as he bent over.

He was finding out rather quickly that pepperoni, cottage cheese, chocolate chip and chili pizza, or P5C pizza as Mikey called it, was going to probably end up killing him. He had thought it was bad enough going down, but it had been worse after it came up.

"Here. Try this…" Don moved his hand to Raph's, slipping two pills in his hand.

Raph's eyes went to the tiny pills, "Donnie there's laws against killin' ya brother…"

Don rolled his eyes, "If I wanted you all dead, you'd be dead already. So, either take it, or Mikey's going to feel bad about you having to be carried home."

"Was that supposed to make me feel better? Cuz…"

"Raph!"

"No tuckin' me in?" he smirked as he saw the bits of fury in those red-brown eyes.

"Take the medicine." Don gave him a look before moving in front of him. Soon Leo let him go and blocked his view along with Don.

"Mikey?" Leo's head tilted to the side. "I thought wanted to practice that new trick you were talking about."

"I was, but I didn't see you guys..."

Raph can hear Mikey's feet shuffling. More talking before he pops the pills in his mouth, grimacing at the taste. And he had thought that pizza was the worst thing he ever ate. He quickly swallowed while wishing away the taste lingering on his tongue as he stood slowly.

"Raph?"

He heard the chipper tone and started growling. His mouth opened tell Mikey exactly what he thought of that pizza. Don and Leo parted, and the words became trapped in his throat as shining blue eyes were looked up at him with a huge grin.

"You're it!" Mikey laughed and took off on his board, leaving Raph raising a brow ridge then looking at his other two brothers.

"We had to tell him something." Leo shrugged.

"Guess we playin' then." Raph stretched and breathed in relief that not only was the medicine working but that awful aftertaste was gone.

"There's no way you're catching up to him on foot. I keep telling you I can fix your board."

"Nope, I'm good" Raph smirked at Don before taking off after Mikey. The first time his board was broken, it had been when he lost Spike. Don had fixed it, but after Mikey had decided he wanted to try some trick with two boards, the orange-masked turtle was lucky it was just the boards that were broken. When Casey found out, his best friend took it upon himself to introduce Raph to roller skates.

"Too slow bro!" Mikey was laughing, and Raph couldn't help the grin as he pushed himself to move faster.

"Who ya callin' slow!" he rushed to catch up as Don and Leo rolled past him. Raph was making it his business to tag all three of his brothers as they zoomed across the roof. He made a daring jump and caught Don first before going back into a run. He charged towards Leo before stopping, knocking into him.

"Raph?"

Raph didn't answer as his eyes followed the street path and he looked in the direction of Casey's house clenching his fists as he thought to dinner.

Casey had stayed over for it, but instead of sitting with him, his best friend was sitting with Don instead. He felt enraged, knowing that Casey would act like his little brother's best bud and would next be kissing April. He nearly growled, hearing Casey lie about how his dad already cooked while he forced the pizza in his mouth.

 _"It's good right!" Mikey was grinning at him, and Raph forced a huge swallow._

 _"It's somethin'…" He forced a grin back before hearing a snicker from Casey's direction then kicking the bastard who let out a louder cry than he thought necessary. Casey bent down and rubbed the spot before Don moved in to check him out._

 _"What's the problem prin-"_

 _Don gasped "Casey what happened to your leg?"_

 _Raph's eyes quickly went to where Don was looking as Casey snatched his leg back and let his pants leg drop. But Raph had already seen it. Ugly bruises littering over his skin so much that Raph couldn't even see Casey's real complexion at all._

 _"I...um...it's nothin'.'" Casey fumbled over his words._

 _The table went silent with Don waiting for a better explanation. Leo was starting to stare. And Mikey was starting to look confused. Casey began to fidget and looked down at the table. After a moment, Leo's gaze slid to Master Splinter, and he could see their dad about to open his mouth._

 _"Damn, Case did ya have to go after those purple dragon assholes alone!" Raph slammed his hands down on the table suddenly, and all eyes went to him._

 _"Raphael! What have I told you about your language?" his dad frowned at him, but Raph's eyes discreetly drifted to Casey who stared back with a slack-jawed expression._

 _Raph forced himself to keep his face straight as he looked back at his dad, "My ba-I mean I'm sorry, sensei. It won't happen again."_

 _"I hope not, my son. I understand you're young, but we all need to expect better of each other. That includes the way we speak."_

 _Raph winced at the disappointment in Master Splinter's voice, choosing to look down at his plate before feeling eyes on him. He glanced at his brothers confused expressions before looking back at the plate._

 _Did he pretty much lie to all of them? For Casey? His dad was disappointed. His brothers were confused. And he stuck up for the guy hurting his brother every day. He shut his eyes tight as his fingers ghosted over one of his bandages, first a light scratch and then harder._

 _"Damn Raphie, mad I took out some of them punks without ya? Or ya just got fleas?" Casey laughed, and Raph's eyes snapped open to look at the smirking teen. Another tooth missing. His eyes narrowed and forced a smirk on his lips._

 _Casey knew what he was doing..._

 _"Nope, just sad I ain't see ya get ya as-" he saw his dad raise a furry brow at him. "Uh...butt handed to ya" He heard Casey laughing and wondered if he could flip him off without his dad seeing. He probably already had time in the hashi, but he rather the extra time was worth it._

 _Raph opened his mouth to say something but caught Casey's eyes looking downwards to his wrists. Raph saw a pained look in those dark eyes that took his breath away, the moment Casey looked up he averted his eyes not wanting to see the full effect of the look._

 _"We can get fleas!?" Mikey exclaimed suddenly, and Raph nearly jumped, forgetting for a moment what the hell Mikey was talking about._

 _"No, we can't get fleas Mikey" Don leveled a stare at Casey who only smiled._

 _"But Casey said..._

 _"Raph doesn't have fleas, Mikey." Don sighed._

 _"But what if he does! And then we get them! They'll be all over the place feasting on us! "Mikey squealed making Raph roll his eyes at his baby brother's antics._

 _"Yeah, because we all know how much Raph loves bugs" Leo laughed before Raph flipped off Leo without thinking._

 _"Raphael!"_

 _"Sorry, dad…" Raph quickly apologized while Master Splinter shook his head. He nearly scratched at his wrist again before stopping himself and looking at his skin. The image of a bug crawling on green skin came to mind, and he shuddered. If a bug got on him he would know it and so would everyone else._

 _He now wished his dad didn't tell him that the mantra he used was only a placebo, though he still had no intention of telling his brothers that. Master Splinter asked him not to tell, and he wouldn't break that trust. There was also the slight kick he got out of watching them concentrate on something that didn't actually work, namely Leo._

 _"Guys! I think I got fleas!" Mikey started scratching his skin in a way that was starting to remind Raph of a monkey. He took one look at Casey and the other teen nodded at him as they both moved their seats closer to Mikey._

 _"What are you guys up to?" Leo looked at them both._

 _"Just tryin' to help, Leo, sheesh. Don't get ya panties in a knot."_

 _"I don't think…" Leo began, but Raph waved him off._

 _"Look, Mikey, ya don't gotta worry about tiny little bugs crawlin' on ya. Donnie's right, ya can't get fleas."_

 _"We can't? You guys are sure?" Mikey looked at all of them carefully._

 _"Yes, we're sure, Mikey." Don let out a long breath and smiled at Raph in appreciation._

 _"Yep, listen to the D-man, Mikey "Casey grinned._

 _"D-man?" Don's eye twitched, and Raph nearly laughed before focusing back on his baby brother._

 _"Yeah, Mikey. Besides…" Raph started slowly. "It ain't the tiny ones ya gotta worry about."_

 _"It's not?" Mikey's eyes widened._

 _"What are you two doing?"_

 _Raph ignored Don's question as he continued, "Nah, it's not."_

 _"Ya see, Mikester, can I call ya Mikester?" Casey barely paused for Mikey's slow nod before continuing. "Ya see, with the mutagen thing. Ya seen giant flies. Giant worms. Giant roaches. But ya never saw the giant flea."_

 _"There's a giant flea?" Mikey's eyes widened._

 _"Yeah, and it's completely silent. No one sees him until it's too late." Raph nodded while keeping a solemn expression._

 _"Mikey, don't listen to them." Leo sighed._

 _"Yeah Mikey, don't listen to us. It's not like ya have a pirate flag in ya room." Casey shrugged._

 _"But I do have a pirate flag…" Mikey whimpered._

 _"Oh, yeah…well, they only really like to go in rooms with surfboards." Raph held back a smirk._

 _"But I got that too!"_

 _"Dang…" Raph faked a frown. "Well, it was nice knowing ya, baby bro."_

 _"Yeah...I always thought ya was real cool." Casey went sighed. "Kinda sucks about Mikey, huh Raph?"_

 _"Yeah man," Raph shook his head with a sigh as he did a mental countdown._

 _3…2…1…and..._

 _"I'm going to die!" Mikey jumped up screaming. "I know what to do! Wait, I know! I gotta get armor! To the armor!" He took off running and hit the wall. "I... I meant to do that" Mikey rubbed his head. "To the armor again!" he ran out the exit._

 _Raph had taken one good look at Casey before they both burst out laughing._

 _"Boys…" Splinter's voice was firm as Raph winced before slowly looking at his dad. "Yes, sensei?"_

 _"I think it's time you both take a moment in the hashi. Perhaps while there, you can think about what you have done."_

 _"Yes sir," Casey sighed as Raph got up with him._

 _"Yes, Master Splinter" Raph started walking before hearing a crash and stopping in his tracks realizing where it came from._

 _"Mikey!" he was about to run towards his room, but a furry hand grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks._

 _"Later Raphael…" Master Splinter spoke up._

 _"But…" he looked towards the exit. "he's in my room!"_

 _"Hm. I see. Maybe next time you will not be as quick to scare your brother. I expect you both to go straight to the hashi."_

 _Raph groaned, "Yes sir…" He bit his tongue while going out the exit while Casey followed._

 _"What's a hashi?" Casey leaned over to whisper to Raph while leaving out the kitchen._

 _"Hell." He muttered. Casey's shirt moved, and he caught another bruise on Casey's shoulder._

 _His brothers and Master Splinter had tried to calm Mikey down for hours. Once he was calm, Casey and Raph left the hashi behind them only to be confronted by Leo and Don glaring at him and Casey. Raph tried to feel bad, but his one feeling wasn't allowing it._

"Raph…"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and breathed as he looked away from that direction, and tried to control his anger. "I'm fine, Leo, stop lookin' at me like that."

"You're doing that internalizing thing again…" Leo dropped his hand from Raph's shoulder.

"And you doin' that annoyin' as hell thing again," Raph smirked.

"He's probably mad you didn't let Casey come with." Mikey laughed while Raph rolled his eyes. Any other time and he'd be down Leo's throat about saying no to Casey, especially on missions like these where it was simple and had a high chance of becoming boring.

But now…

He was confused. He saved Casey from his secret getting out. Yet, he still wanted to be the one to kick his ass off a building into an explosion for hurting his little brother. It made his head hurt, and he still didn't have an answer for that paper Casey had slipped him before they left.

 _Why ya helped me?_

It was a damn good question. Raph could have easily let everyone find out, and all the bullshit that happened at dinner probably…would have still happened. Just differently.

"There he goes again" Mikey poked him, and Raph swatted at his finger.

"I don't know where that's been!"

"Raph, are you sure you're okay. I can handle Karai alone…" Leo frowned.

"Are ya really worried or tryin' to find out where baby turtles come from?" Raph snorted while watching Leo's face become flushed.

"Tha-that's no-" his older brother stuttered.

"Where do baby turtles come from?" Mikey spoke up.

"Uh…." Raph blinked. "Ya know Don you got this one" Raph smirked while Don shot him a glare.

"Well, you see, Mikey..." Don paused while Mikey's smiled at him. "There's um...you see when two people." Don started to fidget." It all starts when a mom and dad….um…they…"

Raph looked at Don. "Bro by the time ya tell this story Mikey will be an old man with cats…"

"Well, you could have told him."

"And miss this? Nah" Raph smirked.

"Are you guys gonna tell me or not?" Mikey started swinging a nunchuck around.

"Um...you know what, I think you should ask Leo. He is the oldest." Don smiled.

"Wait. What?" Leo blinked.

"And the leader" Raph smirked.

"And he probably has some experience..."

"I was gonna say he gotta big mouth but…"

"That's enough you two!" Leo breathed before turning to Mikey and Raph tried his best not to laugh. "Just a sec Mikey" Leo held up a finger and moved closer to him and Don before pulling them closer. "What's the possibility of him losing interest?"

"He's already been skateboarding. Done plenty of running. He asked the question himself and is still staring at us. I'd say our chances of him suddenly losing interest are…." Don's tongue slipped from his lips a moment with a thoughtful expression. "I'd say around 0.00000000000000021 percent."

Raph glanced over, "Yeah, and now he's doin' that face."

"Which face?" Leo whispered. "The pouty one or the quivering lip?"

"No lip. Eyes still average. But his cheeks are puffed out." Don glanced back towards Mikey, "He'll probably cross his arms soon."

"He's usin' the freckles to his advantage. Yeah, he's serious. And ya already know what's next after he starts crossin' his arms."

"The eyes." they all said in unison then shuddered.

"And no one survives the eyes." Don pointed out.

"I do," Raph smirked.

"You just ate a pizza with pepperoni, cottage cheese, chocolate chip, and chili. Whatever rep you built is dead." Don smirked while Raph gave a middle finger.

"Okay. I'm going to go in. You guys got my back, right?" Leo looked at him and Don.

"Uh…" Raph looked at Don as Don looked back at him. "Yeah…" Raph said slowly.

"Guys…"

"Of course, we got your back, Leo. As his older brothers, it's our job to look out for our baby brother." Don gave a smile, but Raph eyed it discreetly.

"Alright good." Leo breathed and moved from the huddle and started moving forward.

Raph looked at Don. "So, are we really going over there to help explain this to Mikey?"

"Heck no."

Raph nearly burst out laughing while feeling Don lean a bit against him. He wished he bought some popcorn right about now as he started listening in.

"Are you gonna tell me or do that football team huddle again?" Mikey tilted his head.

"It wasn't a football team huddle, it was…" Leo paused and looked back. "Guys! What happened to guys having my back?"

"We do! From here." Raph smirked as Don gave a thumbs up.

" Whatever." Leo sighed and looked back at the shorter turtle. "Mikey, it's simple. When a mom and dad love each other enough, they make a baby."

"Oh so…" Mikey's brow ridges wrinkled a moment before grinning. "I get it! You know you guys could have just said that in the first place. Jeez." Mikey laughed.

"Sorry, Mikey." Leo had a triumphant smile as he went back over to him and Don. "See, and that's how you handle things."

"Oh yeah?" Raph held up a finger to Leo and looked over to his youngest brother. "Yo, Mikey!" he shouted. "Come here, little bro."

"Yeah?" Mikey walked over.

"Where do baby turtles come from?"

"And Master Splinter says I'm the one that doesn't listen." He wagged his finger at them. "Didn't you guys listen to Leo. When a daddy rat and some mutagen love each other very much, they make a baby turtle."

Leo stared while Don blinked at Mikey.

"You guys really oughta listen more. But it's cool Mikey has it all handled." he laughed before taking out his board and going. Jumping on his skateboard before doing a trick off the ledge of the building.

"Don't go too far!" Raph yelled.

"Like a turtle do!" Mikey yelled back.

"Oh, and great job Fearless" Raph smirked and patted Leo's shoulder.

"But I…" Leo scratched his head. "What just happened?"

"He just broke every law of biology in one sentence…" Don muttered with his head shaking.

"Let's just go." Leo sighed. "Don, you have the location, right?"

Don tapped on a watch a few times before pulling down his goggles to his eyes "This way." he said before breaking into a run with Leo following.

"Mikey we're leaving!" Raph yelled before following along. He looked back to see Mikey get off the board and run after them as he quickly caught up.

This time, there were no boards as they ran. Feet moving as they performed acrobatics from roof to roof. Taking advantage of the darkness around them as they moved. It was silent, and Raph couldn't help as his mind went back to Casey.

 _Why did I help him?_

"Something is up because you keep making that face," Leo kept his voice low as they vaulted over a vent.

"Ain't doin' nothin." Raph snorted as he took another jump, his brothers right there with him as he landed.

"He's probably thinking of Casey." Mikey teased as he moved farther ahead. Raph's feet skidded to a stop, and in one quick turn, he'd moved to tackle his baby brother.

"Ah! Leo!" Mikey yelped and started to whine as Raph moved on top of him. He started bending his brother's leg back with a smirk.

"What was that Mikey? Ya said somethin'?" Raph continued to twist it as Mikey cried out for mercy.

"Guys! Shh! I think I see something." Leo managed to keep his shout to a whisper.

"Damn and just when we were gonna see if Mikey bends this way," he smirked as he grabbed both Mikey's legs and started bending them backward for extra emphasis as Mikey yelped louder.

"LEO!" Mikey cried out.

"Knock it off!" Leo kept his shout down to a whisper and gave them another look before turning his head to look down from the roof while Don pulled down his goggles.

"You see what I'm seeing Donnie?"

"Eleven signatures in immediate range...extended range detecting other life signatures...also detecting Krang…" Don started to walk off a bit as he projected a hologram in front of him and his fingers moved over the projection.

Raph glanced over at Don "Krang?" before dropping Mikey's leg and gave him an extra glare just in case his brother wanted to say something else. Sometimes Raph wondered why he bothered with that extra energy directed at Mikey when he could do something else with that few seconds of his life.

"Ow…" Mikey whined dramatically. "My leg, my arm, my pancakes…I can't get up…it's getting dark. I think Raph finally killed me guys."

Raph rolled his eyes while going over to Leo and Don, "So what's up? And what about the Krang? I thought we were done with those idiots."

"Remember when I said that each of the warehouses is near Krang establishments." Don's fingers moved as Raph saw different screens in the air. "There is one a few miles from here. I can also detect life within the building and around the perimeter."

"When you say life, you don't mean the friendly kind do you?" Mikey asked carefully.

"There's a mutant among them if that's what you're asking. And it looks like they're on the move. Maybe a transport?"

Leo breathed, "That would probably explain the truck that just pulled up. I doubt an abandoned warehouse is still getting goods shipped."

"Guys the mutant's in that truck…" Don tapped a few more buttons as the holograms disappeared.

"Aw, looks like we might be late to see ya girl, Leo" Raph smirked before his brother rolled his eyes at him.

"Just come on." Leo murmured as he, Mikey and Don followed. Raph started to look down while sticking close to his brothers. He saw the truck Don and Leo were talking about and could see a group carrying stuff out of it and into the warehouse.

"Damn, dragon shit and Case ain't even here." Raph murmured.

"Oh, Casey. How I miss you. Muah muah mu-"

 ** _SMACK_ ****!**

"Ow!"

"Shut it, Mikey," Raph eyed his younger brother after giving him a smack on the head.

"You really shouldn't use April's boyfriend to tease him, Mikey," Don added in a bitter tone and Raph felt his mood start to drop. He quickly tried to snap out of it and pay attention to what was happening.

Leo looked back at them. "Can you guys quiet down? A ninja is supposed to be ..."

"Quiet as he blends into the shadows." Ralph interrupted along with Mikey and Don echoing him.

Leo's eyes narrowed, "Don did you get any extra info on that truck, warehouse, or even the Krang facility. Maybe we can figure out what they're up to and put a stop to it."

"It's purple dragons…" Raph snorted. "Let's just kick their asses. We already know that whatever it is, it ain't giving to goodwill."

"Actually, they aren't purple dragons."

"Did your big glasses tell you that, D?" Mikey whispered, and Raph saw Don purse his lips.

"No, Mikey. I did not learn that from my optical gear."

"Why would you have octopus gear?"

"I…" Don facepalmed. "Just no, Mikey."

"What ya mean it ain't them?" Raph whispered to Don.

"Don's right, just look…" Leo pointed down, and Raph used the dim light over them to look the group over. He counted at least nine but no dragon tattoo in sight. His brow ridges furrowed as he caught a glimpse of a serpent-like crest on some them.

"What do we have this time?" a girl's voice asked from the truck, making all four turtles go still. Raph's eyes glanced to Leo watching his brother's face change from one emotion to another.

The truck door slammed with the sound of footsteps on the pavement as she joined the group that was carrying stuff in.

"No…" Leo whispered. "I-it can't be."

"Karai?" Raph raised a brow.

"Explains why she knew all the warehouse locations," Don murmured.

Fewer items were being bought out until one guy carried out a girl in chains shortly after. Her clothes were ragged, torn and dirty with bruises covering her exposed pale skin.

"We got plenty of files. Some weapons. And we found this girl…" The guy lifted the girl up with one hand by the chains as brown hair covered her face.

The girl hadn't moved, she was limp as she was held up and Raph narrowed his eyes as Karai circled her.

"She was with the other files and equipment?" Karai paused to look at the man.

"She was in one of those cells. We looked in the others, but the rest were same as always. The girl's probably about to go herself. Want me to put her out her misery, boss?"

"No!" Karai hissed. "We might need her." she gave a slow smile. "We need to get as much information as we can. And if she refuses to talk, then put her out her misery."

"I don't think she's in a talking mood guys…" Mikey whispered.

"No shit, numb nuts" Raph muttered as Mikey opened his mouth, but Raph put a hand over it.

"But you'll talk. Right, Irma?" Karai lifted the girl's head as the hair fell from the front of her face, giving the turtles a good look. The girl blinked a few times, her eyes a dull brown as Karai let her head go, and Irma's head fell. Raph and his brothers looked at each other in confusion.

"That's Irma?" Raph barely managed to make it a whisper.

"What happened to her hair?" Mikey's hands went to the sides of his face dramatically as he gasped.

"Guys...she's" Don's goggles took on a glow a moment. "Human."

Raph blinked as he looked at Don then back at the group below. "Aight, I got three words. What. the. fuck?"

"Whatever's going on, I can't tell you more information from here," Don whispered.

"Well, that settles it. I'm goin' down there."

"Raph wait…"

"Fearless, there's a chick in chains down there, and Karai is clearly in on it. So, if this is you tryin' to stop me..."

"I'm not. I agree with you."

"Huh?" Raph blinked at his older brother.

"Guys I think it's time we have a talk with Karai" Leo looked at them before jumping down as Don and Mikey followed. Raph stood there a moment before just shrugging before he followed.

 _"Maybe Fearless ain't that bad..."_ he smirked as his transparent eyelids covered his eyes, making them look white as they went into the darkness.


	8. Leo, Our Friendly Neighborhood Dork

**Note: I don't own TMNT.**

 **Warnings: implied child abuse, self-harm, and caffeine addiction. Also, there's the fact this is a Raph/Casey pairing. Please keep all this in mind and Enjoy the story!**

* * *

They quickly made their way down as the stench of garbage and beer hit his nose. Broken bottles littered the grimy pavement along with forgotten trash. The fire escape was the easiest way down into the alley, a safe distance from the flickering dim light as they crouched near a dumpster.

He wrinkled his nose, eyes focused on Karai and her henchmen as he watched one go inside the side door to the warehouse. Raph looked over to Leo, "So what's the pla-"

Raph blinked, mouth gaped open as his older brother stood and started to waltz over to Karai and the two guys with her.

"What the hell he's doin'?" Raph whispered before looking at his two younger brothers.

"I'm gonna say not being quiet or blending and I don't really see any shadows that way." Mikey scratched his head while keeping his voice low. "Guys...I think a mutant ghost possessed Leo."

Raph mumbled under his breath, "More like a mutant snake." he shook his head and moved to get up. "Come on before the idiot nearly dies again. His nine lives are about up."

"So…he's a cat?" Mikey blinked.

"Come on, Mikey" Don grabbed hold of the shorter turtle by the shoulders and pushed him forward. Raph followed behind them, watching his brothers backs before moving beside Leo.

"What the hell ya doin'?" Raph whispered after catching up.

"I'm handling it" Leo whispered back before stopping right before hitting the dim light with his eyes on Karai.

"Leo?" Karai stiffened a moment before slowly bringing a hand to her hip then smiling, "Well isn't this a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting you so" She paused with a tight smile "…early."

"Karai...What are you doing here?" Leo gestured towards the warehouse. "And why do you have Irma?"

"An interrogation?" she chuckled. "And here I thought you were here to bring me flowers." she sauntered over closer and Raph rose a brow ridge at Leo's cheeks reddening.

"Flo-flowers? I mean...I…didn't think to..." Leo sputtered as Karai came closer.

"You not thinking?" she chuckled. "And here I thought you always were ahead."

"Should have fuckin' known..." Raph muttered. "Yo Leo, are ya gonna say something or we just gonna look stupid in front of the bad guys now?" The moment that Leo agreed with him he should have looked for pigs flying. How the hell did he forget how Leo was when it came to Karai?

"I told you I'm handling it" Leo turned back with a huff at him then went back to Karai. Raph rolled his eyes and took a glance at Irma now over the guy's shoulder. He looked around a bit counting only three guys this time.

"Yeah, well can ya handle it faster?" Raph mumbled. He noticed one of Karai's minions starting to inch towards the warehouse side door.

"Having Raphie troubles again, Leo?"

"What did she just call me?" Raph growled in a dark tone with a cold look in his eyes

"Easy Raph…" Leo put a hand up to his plastron while Raph's hands went to his sais with a murderous glare at Karai.

"Did I hit a nerve? And here I thought we were family" Karai smirked.

He nearly lunged at her before feeling two small hands on his shoulders and two more on his other arm. "Never!"

"Raph!" Leo gave him a sharp look.

"Oh well. Then I guess just you and me, Leo…" she gave a coy smile and Raph eyed the dark crimson returning to his brother's cheeks.

"That sounds…"

"Leo, I swear if ya don't start tryin' to get some answers soon…" Raph growled.

"So pushy." Karai laughed. "That's why I like you, Raphael."

Leo crossed his arms, his hand coming off Raph.

"Bite me you, bi-"

"Okay, that's enough!" Leo interrupted him, but his brother's arms stayed crossed. "We didn't come here to talk Karai, we came here for answers."

"But if I don't talk how will you get an answer" she smirked.

"Don't be cute." Leo's tone had changed, and Raph rose a brow ridge at it before feeling Don and Mikey let him go.

"She kinda has a point, br-"

"Not. Now. Mikey." Leo's eyes stayed on Karai. Raph could no longer hear the wind. No dogs barking. The street silent as the two faced each other.

"It wasn't supposed to go like this…" she shook her head as her voice dropped to a whisper. "You weren't supposed to…"

"I wasn't what, Karai? That my..." Leo's eyes darted. "That you were doing this? You gave me all the clues! You practically begged us to come here! I wanted to help you!"

"I didn't ask for your help!" her head snapped up with her eyes narrowed. "You keep trying to save me instead of just accep-" her mouth snapped shut as she looked away.

"Leo, what is she talking about?" Don's eyes flickered between Leo and Karai.

"You're so naive…" Karai's voice was barely audible, but Raph caught it.

He saw two henchmen move closer to Karai as she pulled something out before covering her mouth and nose with her mask. She gave a sad smile towards his older brother.

"I'm sorry, Leo."

"She's about t-" Raph didn't get the words out as a red cloud of smoke covered the area filling him with dread the moment he realized what it was. And he could barely hear footsteps, knowing the humans were already getting away. He never thought she'd take such a risk as the familiar fumes of anti-mutant gas made him gag.

His eyes burned with his body feeling sluggish. He started feeling around for his brothers "Mikey! Leo! Donnie!" He tried to hear something. Anything at all as his hand went to this throat while forcing himself to move.

He went into a coughing fit while letting his transparent lids move over his eyes, before feeling a hand grab him. He tried to hit at the person, his tongue numb as he tried to form words before he hacked again.

He could feel his shell scraping against the pavement, but the world was still dim. There was only darkness as he tried to scream for his brothers once more while feeling a prick against his skin. Something cool ran over his face, wet as he blinked wildly before his vision started to clear and sounds thundered around him in a noisy anthem as he winced while gulping down air. The lights were too bright as he shut his eyes again.

"Shh...Just keep breathing, Raph. Concentrate on my voice."

The words were soft as he tried to filter out everything else. Focusing just on that one sound as he breathed in deep breaths. He slowly started to open his eyes, one then two. A dim light flickered further off as he kept breathing, noticing the darkness around him.

"Raph? Can you hear me?"

The voice was still quiet as he slowly started to pick himself up. Muscles ached as he pushed his body up and he blinked slower at the blurry green in front of him with bits of purple.

"Donnie?" his voice sounded weak to his own ear. The image became sharper as he looked at his little brother.

"Good you're awake." Don stood up. "I need to check on Mikey."

"Mikey?" he rolled his shoulders a few good times before slowly standing. Stumbling a moment before finding his balance. His eyes went to a crumpled form on the pavement coughing with Leo kneeling next to him.

"Mikey!" Raph rushed over, feeling a strain against his lungs as he coughed before dropping down next to his baby brother.

"Don't push yourself, you just got up. You need at least 5 more minutes..." Don moved to pull out a pouch and then a metal flask and vial. He quickly poured the contents of the small container into the flask before putting it to Mikey's lips. "Small sips Mikey…"

"Is he gonna be okay?" Raph kept looking over Mikey while trying to not snap at the blue-masked turtle beside him. How didn't he see it coming? His nails dug into his palms as he kept looking at his baby brother.

"He'll be okay. It's you I'm worried about. You inhaled more of the gas." Don worked quietly as Mikey coughing receded and he slowly sat up.

"Man, did we get the number of that bus that hit us because...that was kinda mean," Mikey grumbled, but Raph breathed out with a chuckle.

"Shoulda been lookin' harder, ding dong" Raph smirked before watching Don pull his goggles back over his face and press his fingers to Mikey's wrist with a head to his chest. "Okay, your vitals are much better. Just give the medicine a few more moments. I didn't have time to test it properly but now was good as any."

Raph started to watch the purple-masked turtle carefully.

Don lifted his head up and started putting things away, "I already checked everyone. In a few moments, everyone should be okay for the most part. Once we get home, I would recommend bed rest and plenty of liquids."

"Don…" Raph moved over to his little brother.

"I really think we need to get home. But with the situation at hand, I realize that is not probable and that we have to persevere. Good thing I was working on ways against the anti-mutant weaponry and you guys probably thought it was a waste of time..."

"Donnie." Raph came closer.

"But in areas where we can avoid issues, I believe that we should move careful-"

"Donnie!" he put a hand on his younger brother's shoulder as Don went quiet.

"I didn't see it coming…"

"What?"

"I didn't...no matter how many variables I counted. I scanned the perimeter. I examined each person while keeping a careful eye. And I still didn't foresee her doing that."

Raph forced a smirk, "Come on, Brainiac, even you can't know everythin'."

"But I'm supposed to!" Don looked at him, and Raph let out a huge breath. "If you didn't warn us, I wouldn't even saw it. I wouldn't have got my mask out quick enough. Or got my opti-scopes. I'd be...I don't even know…"

"But you did, D" Mikey crawled over. "You pulled our sorry butts out of there. And you owned!"

"I kinda did, didn't I?" Don chuckled a bit.

"Yep, even Raph couldn't handle the thunder" Mikey laughed as Raph rolled his eyes.

"Even though Mikey's a compulsive idiot…" Raph smirked.

"Hey!"

"He's right, Donnie. Ya did…" Raph paused a moment as a memory of those words made him swallow harshly, and he forced the smirk to stay. "Ya did good, little bro."

"Aww. Group hug time!"

"Hug me, doofus, and you'll be the first albino turtle!"

"Actually Raph…" Don began.

"Don't you dare correct my insult, Donnie!" Raph eyed him. He looked over and raised a brow catching sight of Leo. His brother was sitting there, eyes to the ground with his head bowed. Raph blew out a huge breath feeling sure Leo was beating himself up worse than even he could. Raph glanced over at his little brothers feeling his anger starting to take over as the question "What if?" resounded in his head.

He found himself wanting to help with Leo's mission of pissing on himself, but with the way Leo's shoulders slumped, and there was a lost look in his eyes Raph only sighed.

He watched his older brother a moment longer until he moved, sitting down next to him and glanced over to see Mikey and Don joining in. He wasn't sure what to say, though saying "I told you so" was at the tip of his tongue.

He took in a deep breath and looked down at the pavement before back at Leo as he released it. "Aight, Fearless, what's up?"

"Just say it…" Leo mumbled with his eyes downcast.

"What I'm sayin'?" Raph's brow ridge rose.

"I think he's waiting to hear you say 'I told you so' for the whole Karai trying to kill us again thing."

Don facepalmed "Thank you, Mikey, for that lovely use of tact."

"Welcome, bro!"

"He's right…" Leo's shoulders slouched more. "You guys could have gotten killed. I didn't think she'd…she actually had anti-mutagen smoke bombs! Why would she even…"

Raph heard the broken tone in his brother's voice and let out a long exhale then biting his tongue, fighting that urge to just scream at Leo. Or better yet punch some sense into him as he forced himself to stay quiet.

"I just don't get it. How could Karai do that...to her family" Leo's face went into his hands as his words became a whisper. "To me..."

Raph glanced over at Don and Mikey then back at Leo. He looked up at the sky cursing whoever made this moment possible. Waiting until a lack of an audience wasn't an option right now. He looked down at his feet as he worked on getting the words out.

"Leo...I dunno why Karai has her bitch moments. I don't get why she likes to piss ya off. I don't get why instead of just actin' like a normal person, she just does shit like this..." Raph breathed out while struggling for the right words.

"Is this supposed to make me feel better" Leo mumbled, his voice muffled.

"Damn…Lemme finish. I'm just sayin' that...even though I don't get it…" he paused as the words finally slipped. "And I did try to tell ya so over and over…and over. And ya still nearly got us killed over her...again…"

"Raph…"

"I'm gettin' to it! Just...damn it..." he breathed out in frustration. "There's no one else I rather leadin' us. Mikey's got half a brain, Don's stuck up April's ass, and there's no way in hell I'm leadin' anyone again unless I have to. Cuz most of the time I have no clue what the hell I'm doin'. So, that leaves just you, and you're perfect for the job…" Raph mumbled while looking away with a finger dragging across the gravel.

"Hey! "Mikey huffed as Raph looked over to see both his little brothers with their arms crossed. "I have a like um…one and one-half brains yo. So..." Mikey stuck out his tongue.

"Don't ya two ding dongs got something better to do? Like finding Karai…" Raph's eyes started to narrow.

"Yeah sure. Insult us and then tell us to go away." Don rolled his eyes while getting up. "Come on Mikey you can help."

"Really?" Mikey squealed while following Don, as the taller turtle looked back once Mikey was a bit ahead.

"You know if Mikey messes up something, Don is blaming you, right?"

"Yep," Raph shrugged and looked back down at the ground again. His little brothers didn't need to see Leo so down and out.

He heard a small chuckle before feeling arms around him as he stiffened, feeling Leo nestle against him before whispering "Love you, bro." Raph felt his cheeks start to heat up and he glanced nervously at Don and Mikey, seeing Don tinkering with his watch with a pensive expression and Mikey behind him.

"Yeah, whatever…" Raph mumbled with an inner growl while letting him hug him. He pushed down his uneasiness as he felt a squeeze that nearly had him slip into a small smile. He finally glanced over and slowly moved an arm around his brother's shell while quietly whispering. "Love ya too bro…"

"Oh, my…" Mikey gasped nearly making Raph jump thinking the idiot heard him. "I just realized something dudes!"

"That Raph completely insulted us to make Leo feel better?" Don muttered as he looked up from his watch.

"No not that!" Mikey snorted with a dismissive tone. "He does that all the time. I noticed something super huge!"

"What?"

"Karai and Raph, are the same! Dun dun dun!" Mikey laughed.

"What!" Raph's eyes widened as he moved quickly from Leo. His head snapped to Mikey as he started to stand up with his fists clenching. "Mikey out of all the stupid, twisted, messed up…" he growled before he jumped and grabbed for his little brother who took off.

"It was just an observation thingy!" Mikey yelled back while running. "You guys are always saying I need to notice more stuff!"

"You can observe my fist next!"

"Guys! We need to get going" Leo sighed. "Karai might be long gone by now."

"Right after I kill Mikey!" Raph yelled as he continued to chase the shorter turtle.

"What happened to brotherly love?" Mikey shrieked.

"You were born!"

"Wait!" Mikey rose a hand up, and Raph skidded to a stop with his brow ridge raised. His little brother went over to Don and reached up to pull off Don's goggles.

"Hey! Mikey!" Don looked up from what he was doing as Mikey put them on.

"You wouldn't hit a guy in glasses, right?" Mikey smiled at Raph, right before he punched him. "Ow! That was supposed to work!"

"My opti-scopes!" Donnie ran over and snatched them off Mikey's head.

Leo shook his head. "We really need to get going. It's time we get our heads in the game guys."

"Last I checked, we had our head in the game," Raph smirked as Leo pursed his lips. He looked over at Don tapping away at his watch gizmo while looking over his goggles. For all the techno stuff Don would make, Raph still didn't get how the genius turtle still was getting his bo staff broken every few days.

"Don, do you have any clue where Karai might have went next?"

"I'm checking for a pattern in the robberies. Or maybe in the way that the buildings are located, it could give us a hint to where she may strike or at least" Don's projection lit up in the air, and he started moving his fingers, making dots in areas. "So far she's struck in these places with different Krang facilities nearby. So, if I could just…"

"Or she just went inside?"

Raph looked at Mikey. "Why the hell would she just stay here? That makes even less sense than ya usually do, Mikey."

"Maybe because she's mis-directoring us" Mikey squinted with a smug smile.

"Mikey that's not even a wo-" Don blinked a moment.

"Something's wrong Don?" Leo looked at the screens while Raph shuffled on his feet. He wished they hurry up and find where Karai went.

"I think...Mikey might be right…" Don said slowly, and Raph blinked in his direction.

He moved his fingers to his ear holes and started rubbing around them "Aight, I must still be under that shit Karai had. I thought ya said Mikey was right…" Raph didn't consider himself the brightest turtle by a long shot. But Mikey and right in the same sentence sounded like Spanglish to him. And he still didn't get Spanglish.

"No, he's right. The first thing we'd do is check somewhere else..."

"Can't ya use ya techno geek glasses to make sure?"

"You mean the same glasses you just smashed with your fist?" Don's brow ridge rose.

"Not my fault they were between my fist and Mikey's face" Raph crossed his arms while ignoring the look Don was giving him. He'd find a way to make it up to him later.

"It doesn't work at all?" Leo moved closer, and Raph wondered what Leo thought he could even do. Making a strategy was one thing, but fixing machines were another. And Leo already showed more than once how he handled repairing machines. It was the first time he felt bad for a toaster.

"Not the scanner no. I didn't think to pack up the old one."

"Do ya even have room?" He looked over his brother. Don had more pouches and bags on him than any of them did. Sometimes he wondered why he just didn't get a book bag.

"I could have made some…maybe"

"We'll just work with what we have. And if Karai's in there we'll make sure we get our answers." Leo put his hands on his hips and put a finger in the air making Raph's eye twitch. "And we won't stop! We won't rest until we have them! So, In the name of justice and all that is good..."

"Please tell me he ain't…" Raph mumbled. Times like this, he wished he was adopted, or Master Splinter lost a turtle.

"We the champions of the night. Will smite those. And any that com-"

"Stop!" Raph couldn't take one more word. "Champions of the night? Smite thee? What the hell, Leo? What's next...In the name of the moon, we shall punish you?" Raph threw his hands up in the air. It was like his brother wanted to be the biggest dork in all of history.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. Maybe I can use that…." Leo tapped his chin, and Raph's eyes widened.

"No!"

"It not that bad..." Leo sighed.

"Ya right." Raph nodded before suddenly shouting, "It's worse!"

"Guys I think..." Donnie tapped on Raph's shoulder, but he swatted at it.

"I swear if ya do it, Leo, I'll quit!"

"And that's different from the other 27 times you quit?" Leo's head tilted at him.

"I'm serious! Ya say some shit like that, I'm takin da bike and takin' off where no one will think we related!"

"Yeah because there's a whole planet of turtles that they can confuse you with." Leo gave him a deadpan look that made him growl.

"I'll wear a costume then! It'll...it'll be...made or metal or somethin'" Raph thought about it more. "Maybe I won't even use my sais. I'll use a pair of manriki." he started to smirk while thinking about it more. He could do his own patrols. Make his own rules.

"Then you'd look like a giant metal turtle…"

"Ooh! I got the perfect name! How about…" Mikey cleared his throat. "Bat guy."

"Mikey that don't even…I ain't a bat!" Raph thumped him.

"No. But you look half man. And you're gonna watch the night. Like bats watch the night."

Bats can't even see dodo brain" Raph snorted. "And that's way too close to Batman. How about...Nightwatcher?"

"Sure, if you want the boring name…" Mikey drew out his words dramatically.

"Look, it doesn't matter. Raph isn't going anywhere." Leo gave him a look as Raph scowled. "We're a family and a team. And of all people, Raph should know that. Come on."

Don started to make his way up the fire escape, and Mikey went to follow. Raph hadn't budged as he eyed Leo.

"You can be mad at me later. It's time to move" Leo looked back at him before going up, and Raph breathed out before following. He moved quickly after his brothers before Don pointed to an open vent.

"That's just dumb" Raph mumbled before Leo put a finger to his lips before stopping at the vent's open. The four of them crouched low, listening carefully. The sound of voices reached his ears along with Karai's voice.

"It doesn't make sense to me…" Leo paused with a thoughtful expression.

"What?"

"She could have killed us but didn't. Even after she could have got rid of us or tried. We weren't exactly silent out there…"

"Ya point?" Raph forced himself to stay in place.

"That we go in quietly. Find Irma and then leave."

"What about Karai?" Mikey whispered.

"We'll have something she wants. She'll talk then…"

"That's...sneaky and underhanded but gets the job done by any means." Raph stared at Leo before giving him a pat on the back and wiping at a fake tear. "I'm so proud..."

"Just make sure to not engage unless necessary…"

"And proud moment ended…" Raph mumbled. It was already amazing Leo was bending his honor code a bit. That thought made him take a good look at his brother as he couldn't think of a time where Leo would go so far. Though when it came to Karai, Raph thought Leo was just dumb.

His lips thinned a moment wondering if this was to keep them or Karai safe. "Don't see why we ain't…"

"I mean it, Raph" Leo looked at him a long time before Don took out a small light turning it on. He put a finger to his lips before gesturing to the opening as Don went in first, then Mikey and him. He could hear the light steps of Leo behind him as they moved.

Don stopped, and Raph could see the taller turtle working to get the vent off. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, keeping his eyes moving while breathing once he could hear the vent coming off.

His younger brothers wasted little time jumping down and finding a hiding spot among the boxes and spare machines with Raph following after them. He took a quick glance around as he hid with his brothers before feeling Leo move behind him.

Henchmen circled the area, and Raph tried to look for Irma in the maze. Leo moved ahead of them and pointed to a closed door with guards around it.

"Let's go" Leo whispered as the four of them kept moving and they each branched out in different directions. Raph quickly got behind two taking them out as he heard the swipe of a bo staff and the strikes of nunchucks. He glanced to see Leo put a guy in a sleeper hold before going to the door and turning the knob before letting out a short breath.

"I got it" Raph mumbled before pushing Leo out the way and started working on the lock. The moment he heard the click, he smirked triumphantly before giving Leo a smug grin.

"You're really scary good at that…" Leo muttered.

"I know." Raph breathed on his fingers and wiped them off like he's polishing them while Leo opened the door quietly. He wasn't going to admit to all the practice he had with Casey. He nearly groaned as he thought of the vigilante and then remembered that look in Casey's eyes.

 _"_ _Not now Raph."_ He inwardly berated himself before continuing after his brothers who went inside. A long green arm pointed past Raph and to the corner.

"There," Don nodded to the corner where Irma lay still in chains and cuffed to the floor.

Leo went in as Raph, and his brothers followed. Don wasted no time going over to Irma with two fingers to her wrist.

.

"She's not doing too good guys," Don whispered. "Her pulse is weak. There's lots of bruising. She has a fever…"

"We have to save her..." Mikey frowned.

"We will Mikey," Leo gave their baby brother a smile. "But we need to find the key. Unless our favorite rule breaker knows how to get out of handcuffs too?" Leo turned his eyes to look at him, and Raph snorted.

He was feeling antsy and rather be taking out more of those henchmen. "It's on my bucket list of shit to learn. Dunno why I gotta be in here. I could be out there taking out those bozos."

"We don't know the whole situation, Raph. And what happens if we're overrun. Now if you're not too busy complaining, can you help us look for the key?"

"Ya mean the same way ya too busy makin' eyes at Karai." Raph would have crossed his arms if not for them crouching around Irma.

"Shut it, Raph," Leo gave a look.

"Why cuz it's really Karai ya worried about?"

"That's not eve-I'm not going to argue with you. Either look or at least guard the door." Leo pointed with a heated gaze.

He nearly rolled his eyes as he went. Usually getting under Leo's skin was fun but he couldn't help but notice his brother was still on edge. He looked around the area, checking the crates and boxes in the room.

"Found anything guys?"

"Not yet, Fearless" He kept looking before glancing over at Don and Mikey checking on the other side.

"Where are they?"

Raph stiffened as he heard Karai's voice and it sounded close. He took a quick look around before finding a hiding. How the hell she even knew they were there, Mikey hadn't even tripped an alarm yet. Not unless they were silent alarms.

He cursed low to himself and gave Mikey a look as his baby brother shook his head at him from a nearby crate while pointing to himself. Raph stopped glaring, hearing footsteps enter the room as he crouched low as he saw a guy enter the area. His fists were itching to fight, and he glanced in Leo's direction who shook his head quickly.

"No one's here, boss" the guy turned around and stood in the doorway. "Maybe they didn't find us."

"No... If I know those turtles. They're here. So, find them" Karai's tone was sharp as Raph glanced over at Leo. He saw his brother's face change with a long look towards the opening before it turned cold, his blue eyes like ice.

Raph rose a brow at the expression before hearing the guy who Karai gave orders to let out a sigh as he came closer to his hiding spot, he glanced at Leo still shaking his head before he looked at the guy coming closer.

Before the man took his next step, Raph grabbed him by his ankle. The moment he fell to his back Raph swung hard and fast to his head, smirking as the body lay motionless.

"Raph!"

He looked over to the loud whisper and rolled his eyes at Leo.

"What part of "do not engage" didn't you understand?"

Raph shrugged. "He was up on me. What was I supposed to do? Besides, I just knocked him out…keep ya panties on, Mama Leo."

"You could have stayed hidden, and he wouldn't have ev-"

"Where's Jackson?"

Leo went silent quickly at the sound of Karai's voice while giving Raph a look. He held back from rolling his eyes as he went back behind the crate.

"He went to check on the girl…" came a gruff reply.

"It doesn't take that long to check on one girl. You go check and take men with you. I'm not letting those girls ruin everything..."

 _Girls?_

Raph raised a brow a moment before hearing more movement into the room. There was no way he was just hiding behind some damn crates all night like a coward.

Ralph moved behind the first guy as he entered and threw a quick punch to knock him out, grinning at his luck at the instant KO before he moved quickly to the next idiot.

Quickly, Raph looked behind him sensing someone there. No sooner than he had turned, he saw the other guy's mouth opening as a bo staff whacked him sideways making him go down. He eyed his brother with the bo staff a moment before growling as he took out the next guy that waltz in.

He cracked his knuckles, starting to grin at the thought of taking all these idiots out as he left out the room.

"Raph. Don't yo-"

He heard the loud whisper before cutting around the corner. He looked around trying to find his way around the maze of crates, machines, and boxes.

Raph went still as he spotted one guy walking and another standing guard at a different door. He came closer, about to do a simple sweep under the man's feet that was walking, until he turned suddenly with a sword out.

Raph grinned at the challenge, blocking the sword with his sais before using the prongs to disarm him. The man's eyes narrowed once his sword was launched away from him, and he charged at Raph.

 _"_ _Dumbass…"_ He snorted as he delivered a swift knee to the man's midsection then hearing footsteps behind him. He didn't bother looking back, delivering a roundhouse kick to the next idiot. Raph was about to give himself a mental pat on the back before hearing a crash and looking to see the man in a broken pile of the crates.

"Really, Raph!" Leo yelled as he came out the room with Don and Mikey behind him.

"What?" he tried looking innocent as Karai came around the corner with more henchmen behind her.

"You?" She exclaimed looking at the four of them. Raph looked to see more henchmen come up behind her and then charging forward towards them.

"Guys look! I'm like a ghost!" Mikey laughed as Raph caught a glance of the dude having a problem landing a hit on Mikey before his brother delivered a kick to the guy's head. Raph moved as some came after him, attacking quickly alongside his brothers as he focused his rage on each one coming his way.

Raph vaulted over one of his brother's shells before dodging from a fist coming at him once he landed. He grabbed the arm and gave a wicked smirk before snapping it after a blow to the man's head with his fist. He caught sight of Karai and stomped down on the man's leg, hearing it crack as he went over to her with her staring at him.

He cracked his knuckles with his eyes dead on Karai while he stood over the bodies littering the floor. "That's all ya got bitch! Cuz next fucker ya throw at me gettin' gutted open with a sai after I bash their brains in and stuff their heart down ya throat."

Karai blinked at him with her mouth gaped open. "Has anyone ever told you that you're seriously twisted?"

"Uh oh..." Mikey backed up. "Um, guys..." Mikey started pointing behind him.

"I'm kinda busy here Mik-" Raph fell silent as he watched ninjas start to pop up out of different places each with a serpent crest.

"You really didn't think that's all I had. Did you?" Karai folded her arms looking at them then at her men. "Get them!"

"Damn, ya can't do ya own dirty work?" Raph yelled at Karai as a punch came his way. He let his head go into his shell and come back up before he kicked the dumb ass.

"It's good to be a turtle," he smirked as he went back to attacking whoever was close to him.

"Guys! We need to get her out now! There's too many!" Donnie yelled as he tripped three guys with his staff.

"We can take them out!" Raph yelled back as he dodged another attack. "I don't do retreats!"

"Then call it a strategic exit! We're going!" Leo yelled back before moving beside him. "Don, staff!"

Don's staff hit the next idiot like a game a pool before he dropped a smoke bomb then held his staff level.

Raph looked at Leo as his brother nodded to him and they both ran up to Don, jumping off the ends of the staff. They flipped over a group of guys and delivered a kick to the ones close to the vent they needed to escape while hidden by the smoke screen before disappearing into the vent.

Raph quickly made his way out of there while following Leo, he took a quick look to see Don right behind them as they got back to the roof.

"Donnie, is there a way we can get those lights off so we can go back and get her?"

"It's risky since they're already alarmed, but if we're quick enough we'll have a small window of time befo-"

"Wait where's Mikey!?" Raph started to panic as he looked around. What if she threw another of those bombs? His baby brother could be trapped down there. Raph felt his hands shaking in fear as he rushed back to the vent. He already almost lost him once to that gas shit.

"I got her!"

Raph looked back to see the freckle-faced turtle coming closer with Irma over on his back, no longer in chains. He breathed out in relief before doing a double take, "How did ya get her out the chains?"

"Oh, I used the key bro," Mikey laughed.

"YOU HAD A KEY!" Raph yelled along with his brothers.

"You don't gotta yell. I grabbed it a little after we went in... I think."

"When did you even." Raph started to say before facepalming. "Never mind..." he mumbled thinking at this point it was pointless to try to understand the how part. Sometimes Mikey was Mikey, and that was just it. He heard noises and took a chance looking down as he saw Karai pointing towards the roof.

He ran back over to his brothers quickly. "Karai's comin' this way...I say we go back and give her some payback."

"Another time. We need to disappear, now! "Leo yelled as Raph reluctantly huddled up with his brothers just as Mikey dropped his egg-shaped smoke bomb.

 ** _SPLAT_** **!**

Raph looked down at the splattered egg along with Leo and Don before all their eyes went white and they gave Mikey a look.

"MIKEY!" they all yelled in unison.

"Uh oh," Mikey made a nervous chuckle. "My bad?"

"Your bad!" Raph yelled and grabbed his baby brother, shaking him.

"I said my bad! You're making me shake Irma!" Mikey yelled before throwing another one down.

"I'll show you bad! And I don't give a damn if you holdin' Megan Fox!" Raph yelled.

"Sheesh, bro. That's har-," Mikey started to say as a cloud of smoke appeared, and they disappeared with it.


	9. If It's Goo, It's Mutagen

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.**

 **All warnings from previous chapters apply.**

* * *

"Ow!" Mikey yelped with his hands over his head.

"Raph, stop hitting Mikey,'" Leo's voice was a drone tone as he repeated himself for what was probably the 20th time in the last hour as Raph slapped Mikey across the head again.

"Why? Ain't like somethin' left in there to damage" Raph's hand twitched, and he smacked his little brother again.

"Hey!" Mikey yelled as he rubbed the top of his head while Raph smirked in his direction. It was the least he could do after the egg thing happened. They had narrowly escaped from Karai and her snake goons, and Raph was still annoyed at the way they left with their tails between their legs.

"It was an honest mistake, Raph, you know Mikey didn't mean it." Leo sighed and rubbed the top of the shorter turtle's head.

"Yeah, Raph, honest mistake." Mikey gave a broad smile, but Raph eyed it along with the way those blue eyes were shining at him.

"He's lucky I ain't beatin' the green off him," Raph muttered. "But my biggest problem is that!" he pointed to Irma laid out on their couch. "Whose bright idea was it to bring her home?"

"What else were we going to do with her, Raph?" Leo looked over at him.

"Hold on let me get my list ...let's see…" Raph started to point to his fingers. "Not bring her home. Not expose our family. Not set us up to get killed by Karai again in less than 24 hours…" Raph trailed off before looking at Leo crossing his arms. "I can continue all day if ya want."

"We're not getting set up. Don already checked her for bugs, and there's no way anyone's breaking in here with all the security Don put up. And, Raph, just look at her…"

Raph looked down at the girl, beyond the hair and eyes, she looked like every "Irma" they dealt with minus all the bruises. He couldn't help the unease he felt or the bad memories where they faced her lookalikes. "I'm lookin' and still seein' how we had to save our planet from those pink brain aliens who liked lookin' like her..."

"But this is the real one. And we couldn't just leave her just for Karai to pick her up and do who knows what!" Leo yelled at him but as Raph glanced at the girl all he could see was Krang Prime. The foot. Irmas everywhere. Shredder. His brother not moving. His brother in a tub. Praying. Hoping he'll wake up. He clenched his fists and breathed out with a look at Leo.

"Real or not. I don't trust her" Raph growled low as Leo sighed.

"She's just a girl that needs our help…" Leo's voice was quiet as he gestured to who they wanted Raph to call a guest. But all he could see was bad memories.

"Correction, she's a hot girl. Which makes it our civic duty..." Mikey chimed in, and Raph shot him a glare as Mikey whimpered, moving swiftly behind Leo. "Raph's making scary eyes…" he whispered loudly to Leo and Raph snorted.

"We don't know shit about her."

"Why do we need to know something about her to help her?" Leo gestured to the girl on the couch before looking back at Raph.

"Why do ya always act like an idiot when it comes to anythin' to do with Karai? You say fuck your honor. Fuck us. Fu-"

"That's not true…" Leo started to glare.

"Is it? Cuz ya probably bought robot chick home just so you could give Karai the middle finger!"

Leo's eyes widened "I did it to help us! It ha-"

"Um, guys…" Raph turned his head towards the voice and looked at Don.

"What?" he kept taking deep breaths while curling and uncurling his hands into fists.

"You're kinda in the way…" Don pointed to the girl, and Raph looked at Leo. His blue eyes had a steel gaze as he stepped back before Raph did the same to let Don through. He folded his arms while watching over his little brother putting items on the table nearby and beside him as he pulled his goggles down.

"They work now, D?" Mikey peeked his head from around Leo.

"Yes, it just took a few adjustments. I plan on improving them to be more durable, especially when brute force is applied directly to them. "

"So, you really should be thanking me!" Mikey grinned as he finally moved from Leo and to the arm of the sofa where the girl was.

"Or Raph's fist..." Don muttered as Raph made his way to the bean bag chair and plopped down.

Raph let out a long exhale, picking up the remote before sensing something as he pressed the power button. "Do it Mikey, and I throw ya into the tv..."

"You weren't even looking!" Mikey whined, and Raph glanced back to see a water balloon in the orange masked turtle hand. If he ever went to Casey's place again, he'd have to thank little Izzy for keeping him on his toes even more than Mikey did. Which was scary and reminded him more why he didn't want to deal with tiny people more than necessary.

"Now's not the time Mikey…" Leo sighed. "Regardless of who did what to her, it doesn't explain why we're just now finding her if she's been here. You would think we'd at least seen her once..."

Raph blinked a moment before looking at Irma again as a brown-haired girl digging in a dumpster came to mind. "I think I've seen her while I was out once…"

"When? You saw her and didn't tell us?"

"I had other shit on my mind, Leo. And do ya think I memorize everybody in the city that's homeless? Want me to announce all of 'em to ya?"

"No. But apparently, you noticed something important. What could you have possibly been doing where you wouldn't notice that she was Irma?"

"Raph's eyes narrowed. "It was important…"

"And that's all you're going to say?"

"It's all ya need to know" Raph nearly snapped before taking a deep breath. There was no way he was telling Leo he's been going to Casey's hockey games. Even when he was ignoring Casey, a promise was a promise. He just made sure the bonehead saw him before he'd take off. And he was damn glad he was keeping it, especially after the last match.

Casey's dad had shown up, but the moment Casey missed a shot, the moron went missing. It took a lot for Raph not to follow him, drag his ass back and glue Casey's father to the damn bleacher. He doubted Mama Leo would understand. He could already picture that lecture.

Raph looked back over to the girl as Don kept working. Don grabbed some scissors and started cutting the legs of her pants until they were shorts.

"Woah…" Mikey gasped, and Raph couldn't blame him as more dark bruises were exposed. He wasn't sure if the Krang would or wouldn't go so far with a robot.

"She's worse off than we thought..." Leo frowned while sitting down. "So, is she a human Don? Or a really good robot?"

"I checked her out while at the place. And I would say in combination with multiple bruises and lacerations and if I'm right…" Donnie kept his goggles focused on the limp figure on the couch as he checked her over gently. "A lateral malleolus fracture. Then there's also the fever..."

"Lateral!" Mikey's eyes widened. "Isn't that her brain?"

"That's... cerebral Mikey." Don took a glance at the orange masked turtle before continuing. "She may have an ankle fracture, or it could be just a sprain. I have to check her out more but like I said if you add all that with the fact she has a pulse. And there's also blood...tissue...so I would have to say, human."

"Unless she's really a zombie..."

"Zombies don't exist Mikey" Don sighed as he elevated her foot on a cushion.

"Dude we've seen brains in robots, April can read minds, found out the Krang made humans, alien dinos and other alien thingies, spaceships, April clones, and tons of other crazy stuff..." Mikey huffed. "But you doubt zombies!" Mikey shouted suddenly.

"You're asking me to accept that a person can be reanimated to the point of living without any repercussions whatsoever."

"But we traveled in time!"

"Space-time continuum is a whole different spectrum of science than that of reanimation."

"Is it?" Mikey smirked.

"I... refuse to have this conversation with you…" Don rolled his eyes, then they narrowed a moment as he lifted Irma's wrists, showing marks and Mikey frowned as his smirk disappeared.

The orange masked turtle got up from the arm of the chair and started to move closer, his voice quieter than usual. "The Krang hurt her really bad..."

"Even if they did, the range of time is wrong. The Krang have been gone for months now. The bruises would have healed, the sprain as well. This is recent...the fever though is recent. Probably the weather...by judging the level of emaciation, I'd say this has been going on for months."

"They just left her!" Mikey looked alarmed and frowned more as he looked down at Irma. "That just...really sucks."

"I didn't say that, but it would be safe to assume they did. The Krang probably felt they had no more use for her so didn't bother to take her."

"That dude said there were others, but usually those were dead…" Raph started to wonder how she survived and none of them did. The room went quiet, and Raph was pretty sure his brothers imagined the same thing. His eyes glanced to Mikey who had moved closer to the girl.

"What are ya doin' Mikey?"

"Everyone needs a friendly face to wake up to Raph."

Raph rolled his eyes hearing that. He could think of all the ways that girl could wake up seeing four giant turtles. Smiling and baking cookies weren't one of them. "Mikey for all ya know, after being with the Krang since who the hell knows, her ass is crazy. If anything, ya need to be keepin' a distance."

Mikey's brow ridges furrowed and he looked from Raph back to Irma "But would it really be her fault? I mean they had her a long, long time. Even if they didn't do the bruises. They probably did other stuff. And I dunno Raph, but if I didn't have no one, I'd at least want a friendly face."

Raph sighed as Don looked at him and Mikey. "I think...that's a good idea, Mikey."

Mikey beamed and stuck a tongue out at Raph before looking at Don, "So is it the lateral thingy, D? Or a sprain?"

"Definitely a sprain..."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"I…" Don paused as Mikey's eyes got bigger and he made his lower lip quiver. "I guess you can help me get what I need from the lab so she can rest here. She needs something for the fever, and I have a salve that will help with the bruises…"

"Then what are we waiting for!" Mikey grinned as he jumped up then looked back at Irma. "No worries, we'll be right back. D, will have you good as new. He's awesome!"

"But…" Don tapped his chin, Mikey started to frown.

"But what?" Leo glanced towards Don.

"We're running low on supplies..." Don sighed. "We'll need to get more soon.

Raph groaned "That's just perfect. And of course, we waste it on Android 18 here…"

"We're not wasting it, she needs it, Raph!" Mikey snapped, and Raph blinked when he looked at the look on Mikey's face.

"She doesn't heal like us. She doesn't do ninja stuff. We're the good guys. We have to help her. Because if we don't then we're the bad guys and that's just not cool" Mikey's eyes narrowed a moment. "Come on, D" Mikey ran off. "To the lab!"

"Wait! Mikey, don't touch anything until I get there!" Don looked alarmed as he ran off after him.

"Mikey's right, she needs our help."

Raph snapped out of the shock he was in after being told off by his baby brother and glared at Leo "Of course she do, especially after the number Karai put on her."

"Karai wouldn't do that..."

"Wouldn't she? Ya heard Donnie! Those bruises are fresh, Leo!" Raph gave his older brother a look as Leo went silent. He watched his brother look down with his hands starting to curl into fists after a long moment. Raph didn't move or say anything for a long time before repeating, "Wouldn't she, Leo?"

"No. She wouldn't." Leo looked up with his eyes narrowed.

"You're so fuckin' blind when it comes to her!"

"Because I see the good in people? Everyone makes mistakes, Raph…."

"Ya know what..." Raph chuckled darkly before shaking his head. "Ya right. Too bad hers might end with us dead." Raph stopped looking at his brother and instead turned to the tv screen.

"Um…" Don's voice interrupted the silence as Raph heard his little brother's footsteps. "Did we interrupt something?"

"Can't you guys go 30 minutes without arguing? Sheesh, does anyone else care about the cute girl on the couch?"

"Anyway... what Donnie got her? Robot oil?" Raph snorted still not entirely convinced. After seeing some of the shit that the Krang were capable of with the army of Irmas and Aprils, he still had no plans of letting his guard down with that girl.

"But she's not a robot Raph," Mikey rolled his eyes. "Don checked her out, and his big glasses would have seen it. Right, D?"

"Mikey they're not...," Don started before just giving a sigh. "Yes, they would have seen it."

"See!" Mikey smirked, but Raph rolled his eyes at his baby brother. "So, is she all done?" Mikey's tone was curious as he reached a hand to brush brown hair from Irma's face.

"Did you get the blankets, Mikey?"

"Yep!" Mikey held up a pile of blankets. "And the water, the cold compress, the...whatever this is..." Mikey held up a jar with some greenish looking goo inside of it.

"Good" Don smiled while holding a syringe filled with something that looked a lot like mutagen to Raph. He cleaned off a spot before injecting her with it. "There...that should help with her fever. Mikey, you can put the compress on her head while I apply the salve?"

Mikey put the compress on Irma's head and grabbed the jar back from Don "I can do the salve stuff, D."

"I got it, Mikey. I'm trying to not hurt her more."

"But I wouldn't hurt her. Ever." Mikey gave Don a determined look as he sighed before giving Mikey back the jar. Raph kept looking at the stuff as it was smeared on Irma's skin before Mikey laid a spare blanket over her.

"Please tell me that wasn't Creep goo…" Leo made a face.

"Or mutagen…" Raph mumbled.

"No, it's a medicinal salve for her bruises. It'll help them heal faster, and some on her ankle will help with the swelling. Not everything green, bluish green or goo like is mutagen related guys. For all we know, there's a purple mutagen out there."

"Not funny, Don" Leo grimaced.

Raph didn't even want to begin to think of what all could be out there. He was rather happy with knowing the world was Krang free and he hoped mutagen free. Though Don had already said once how they couldn't be sure what all the Krang left behind, and that included mutagen.

"So, she's going to be okay now?" Mikey hadn't moved from Irma's side.

"She'll be okay. She just needs rest now. You did a great job Mikey" Don smiled.

"That's great and all, but who's gonna explain her to Master Splinter?" Raph asked while taking another look at the girl then back at the tv.

"I think he already knows…." Don trailed off, and Raph stiffened himself when he heard someone clearing their throat behind them along with the sound of a cane hitting the floor. He was already pretty sure who was behind them.

"I hope you four have a good explanation."

"It was my call, Master Splinter" Leo spoke up. "We were patrolling and saw soldiers with a snake emblem at a warehouse. We found out that they had been searching Krang facilities nearby. And I'm sure they've been storing what they find in the warehouses but someone else besides us noticed the same thing, and they've been thwarting them."

"Oh?" Splinter's voice was curious. "

Raph looked at Leo and raised a brow at his brother. "More like we were meetin' up with Karai to talk and found her doin' stuff she ain't had no business doin'." Leo glared at Raph.

"Miwa was there?" Splinter's voice became soft.

"Yes…" Leo said softly before continuing. "When it turned out the girl was Irma it changed our mission. We couldn't just leave her there. Karai …" Leo paused a moment before continuing, "Had her for a reason. She wanted to keep her there."

"It was crazy! She called in some kinda ninja army!" Mikey exclaimed before looking down at Irma with a frown. "They even had poor Irma in chains and locked in a room."

"Were you able to speak to her at all?" Master Splinter looked at the four of them as Leo shook his head no.

"We weren't as prepared as we thought to face her." Donnie sighed.

"Not with her havin' that anti-mutant stuff" Raph mumbled.

"I see…," Splinter glanced at Irma before looking back at Leo, "Come Leonardo. I need to speak with you." Master Splinter turned from the girl and started to walk away.

Leo got up, and once Splinter was a bit away he glared at Raph again, "Did you have to mention Karai? You think Master Splinter needs to hear something like that about his daughter?"

"I dunno, but I was damn sure gonna tell him what his precious Miwa did to his sons and what she was up to," Raph growled.

"Were you really doing it for Master Splinter, or just because you don't want her as part of this family?"

"I ain't the one forgettin' she's dad's daughter while goin' goo-goo eyed over her."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "Whether you don't trust her or not Raph, she's family." He turned and went to leave.

Raph sighed a moment. He wasn't going to feel bad for not trusting a girl who gave them little to no reason to believe her. He still couldn't help but wonder what Master Splinter and Leo were talking about. Part of him was glad if Leo was being torn a new one while the other part was worried about their dad. Regardless of everything, Miwa was his daughter.

"Guys! She's waking up!"

"Mikey give her a little more room" Don gave Mikey a nudge, but the orange masked turtle wasn't budging from his spot.

Irma groaned, and her eyes slowly started to open. "Where...where am I?" she slowly began to move a hand to her face as a leg moved before her face contorted in pain.

"Shh, take it easy, girl" Mikey's voice was soft, and Irma's eyes went immediately wide before closing again as she winced with a soft cry. "Oh no... Do you need juice? A drink? Something to eat? Umm..."

"You to be quiet?" Raph mumbled. "Ya trustin' her way too much…"

"There's not much she can do with a fever and a sprained ankle, Raph." Don sighed.

"I see turtles…" Irma said slowly while staring from one to the other. "Three giant talking turtles…."

"Try to relax, Irma…" Don moved her ankle back on top of the cushion to keep it elevated.

"And it knows my name…" Irma closed her eyes. "I'm back in that prison, aren't I? I just dreamed I was free...I should have known I wasn't..." Irma's voice barely audible and void of life that it nearly even had Raph rethinking his decision on her.

"Correction. Two giant turtles and the amazing, most awesome giant turtle who saved you!" Mikey grinned.

"Mikey…" Don gave Mikey a look, but their little brother just kept talking.

"Hey, wherever you think you are, you aren't. I mean I know it's not like a super palace or nothing. But there's plenty of TV. Comics. And I make the best food ever. But it's gonna be hard to see if you can't see... Unless you're like this super cool superhero who can still see stuff anyway…" Mikey's grin got wider, and Raph was surprised to see Irma's eyes open slowly.

"Like...Daredevil?" she murmured.

"Exactly!" Mikey laughed, and Irma looked from him and to others.

"So, I'm really here?"

"If by here do ya mean ya underground and in a sewer, then yeah" Raph snorted.

"A sewer?" her expression turned perplexed.

"Well, technically we live in an abandoned subway relay station that's connected to a sewer." Don corrected, and Raph rolled his eyes as he heard footsteps coming.

"Guys, Master Splinter sai-She's awake?" Leo stopped talking and looked over at Raph.

"Nah, Leo. This whole damn thing has been a dream, and Mikey's not sounding like the idiot he is," Raph snorted while ignoring the glare that Mikey sent him.

"Ignore him, Mia. Raph's real grumpy when he doesn't get his Casey time."

"Mikey..." Raph growled at his baby brother.

"Mia?" She looked at Mikey.

"Uh huh. Because there's this thing called heterochromia."

Raph blinked and stared at Mikey hearing what just came out their baby brother's mouth. He looked at Leo and Don who were just as speechless as him.

"It's where a person got two colored eyes right. And the other Irma had green, and you got brown-" Mikey stopped talking and looked at them. "Dudes, don't you know it's rude to stare? See what I deal with here, Mia?"

"I..." Irma's hand moved slightly towards Mikey. Raph jumped up quickly and pulled his baby brother away.

"Don't ya touch him!"

"Raph!" Mikey yelled as Raph pushed Mikey behind him before he moved closer to the couch, not caring as the girl's eyes widened.

"So, which one are ya!" Raph snarled.

"I... I don't know what you're…," she slightly stuttered.

"The Krang!" he got louder with his jaw clenched. No way were they losing everything again. He pictured all the Irmas and Krang Subprime that led to all of the bullshit. His blood was boiling as he saw nothing but red and he raised his fist.

"No, please!" she cried out.

"Raph!" came a yell and it suddenly became hard to move. He felt bound, and he kept struggling against the hold on him. "Get a grip!"

"Let go!" he yelled as he tried to lunge.

"You're scaring her, Raphie!"

Raph blinked, seeing Mikey in front of him with his arms around him.

"Please…please stop" he heard the whimper as he looked behind Mikey seeing Irma shake while curled up in a ball in the corner of the couch.

"I don't think she's the enemy, Raph," Leo said softly from behind him, making him glance back to see that it was Donnie and Leo holding him back as well. They both slowly released him, and he swallowed harshly, looking away as guilt started to set in.

Mikey slowly let go of Raph and went over to Irma. "Shh...It's okay. I won't let nothing happen to you. Promise."

Raph took a small glance to see Mikey rubbing her back. He watched her stiffen before she slowly began to relax. He didn't want to look anymore, so he looked at Leo instead.

"Master Splinter said somethin'?" he tried to keep his tone nonchalant.

"He said we made the best choice in that situation. Though, there's no telling how long she's been with the Krang or what they've done to her. We need to be careful with her..."

"At least April should be happy to have her friend back," Donnie added. "Maybe she can help."

Raph found himself feeling glad at the idea of April hanging around Casey less before a scowl came to his face, another thought coming to mind. "That's if she ever really met the girl."

"Has anyone called April?" Leo looked at them.

"I did while in the lab with Mikey. She should be on the way soon. But I'm worried about this whole situation. What info would Karai want so bad that she has some poor girl in chains?"

"Only one way to find out," Leo looked over at the couch while Raph and Donnie both looked at the girl still in a ball curled up against Mikey.

"Here's hoping we don't hate what we find," Don said softly.


	10. Shaken, Not Stirred

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT**

 **Warning: All previous warnings still apply.**

 **Is anyone actually reading this? I'm mainly just wondering if people are still reading or not.**

* * *

It had been a while and Irma was still curled up into a ball, clinging to Mikey while shaking as he kept stroking her back. The guilt ate up at Raph as he watched the girl and his baby brother trying to coax her into calming down.

"Guys…" Mikey looked up from her while keeping an arm around. "I'm not sure what else to do…" he frowned while looking at them.

Raph wasn't sure himself. He sighed, thinking of all the times Master Splinter asked him to watch his temper. He could already see the disappointment that would shine in his dad's eyes and then this girl seemed so far gone. How would he even fix this one? He glanced over at Don and Leo. His genius brother was the fixer. Leo was the one who usually knew what to do.

He clenched his fists in frustration, with his head down. "Guys I'm...I didn't mean…"

"We know Raph," Leo's voice was quiet. "You were just worried about Mikey. We know that."

Raph nodded but it still didn't make him feel any better. The guilt was still swallowing him whole and he became more aware of the bandages before he let one hand dig nails into his palm until it pierced flesh.

"Yeah…" he grumbled the word. His eyes still looking away.

"Maybe we should get dad…" Don said softly as Raph finally looked up to see Leo coming towards both him and Don.

"I'll get father." Leo placed a hand on both their shoulders. "You guys keep an eye on Mikey and Irma. April and Casey should be here soon. It'll be okay" Leo gave a warm smile before going.

"Yeah…" Raph had started looking at Irma again. Her shaking hadn't stopped. And she hadn't let go of Mikey yet.

"Raph…"

He blinked and turned his head to where Leo had paused.

"You and Don just sit until I get back. Okay?"

Raph gave a slow nod before looking at Don, he frowned at the helpless look on the taller turtle's face as he let out a slow breath. "Come on, let's just sit tight and wait for Fearless." he moved a hand to Don's shoulder and pushed the younger turtle down to sit before he did himself.

"D, can't you fix her?" Mikey asked softly while looking back towards them.

"I... I don't know how Mikey." Don looked down, and Raph caught the frown before Don lowered his head in his hands as Mikey frowned with his arms still around Irma.

"Boys…"

Raph was already getting up as soon as he heard his dad's voice but stopped immediately as he thought of how he caused this mess. "I... I didn't…"

"It's okay, Raphael." Splinter laid a hand on his shoulder with a concerned look in his eyes as the furry paw squeezed before pulling him forward and he just laid his head against his dad. "You didn't know. You only wanted to protect your brothers. No one can fault you for that."

It was nearly the same words Leo said and Raph held back a dry laugh at how close Splinter Junior had gotten the words. But from his dad, it sounded all different. It felt different.

"I didn't mean to…" he whispered quietly.

"I know my son." he felt a light nuzzle to his temple. "All of you did your best in this situation. I am proud of all of you. But now we must do our best for our guest. She has been through a tough time."

Raph slowly moved from his dad and nodded his head.

"I'm not even sure what to do…" Don's voice was quiet as Master Splinter moved and sat near the purple-masked turtle with an arm moving around him.

"Donatello...if it was one of your brothers. What would you do?"

"I would...just…comfort them the best I could. Use soothing words. Try to relax them. Um...tell them to breathe and focus on me." Don's brow ridges pinched together as he spoke.

"And do you believe that would work now?"

"I…" Don lifted his head. "Mikey keep talking to her but tell her to focus on you. She needs to relax. It's mental...she's...she's having a panic attack." his hand went to his head. "How didn't I realize that before?"

"Who cares? Ya thought of it now." Raph looked at his younger brother.

"Though I would not have used Raphael's exact words, I agree. You thought of it. Help, no matter the point in time, is still important. Leonardo, make some tea. Once she's calmer it may help her relax more"

"Hai, Master Splinter" Leo took off in the direction of the kitchen.

"Irma…" Mikey paused before continuing. "Come on, Mia, I know you hear me. Just keep breathing in and out. And it's all gonna be okay."

Raph started to breathe in relief when he saw the shaking starting to stop. Her hands started to slowly slide from Mikey's arms and Raph bit his tongue when he saw the marks on his baby brother's skin from her nails and hands.

"See! We're all good!" Mikey grinned. "You squeezed me hard enough." he laughed as she slowly uncurled herself from him then gasped.

"You-your arm…I..."

"No worries, Mama Mia. Us turtles are real tough" Mikey smiled as she slowly nodded and looked around. Her eyes seemed to bug out the moment they landed on Master Splinter.

"Is…is that…"

"If you're asking am I a giant rat. The answer is yes" Splinter smiled at her as Leo came in with a tray holding cups and a pot of tea. "Thank you, Leonardo. And now...Miss Irma? Would you care for some tea? I promise we will not hurt you."

Irma's eyes went from the tea and back to Splinter before around to all of them but stayed on Raph a longer moment. "I…. yes. Sure…"

"Good." he gave her a smile as he went to pour a cup.

"Irma, you need to keep your ankle elevated." Don went over as Irma's eyes went down. They seemed unfocused a moment.

"My ankle?"

"Yeah, it got hurt...do…you remember?" Don asked her carefully while Raph rose a brow.

"Oh. Yeah, sure. Just tired, I guess" she slowly moved the leg and laid it back on the cushion. But Raph still looked at her confused.

"Here you are, young lady," Master Splinter had a gentle tone as he handed her a cup and she reached over for it but suddenly stopped as the cup slipped from her hands. Her eyes looking around in fear before focusing back and she looked at her hands and then to the floor. "Oh no... I'm…"

"It's all good Mia" Mikey gave her smile.

"It's just a spill. Tea can be replaced. Boys, can one of you get towels?"

"I'll get it!" Mikey jumped up, but Irma latched onto his arm with her eyes shut tight.

"No, please don't..."

Mikey went still, and Raph looked worried over at his brother. Whatever help this girl needed, he was sure it was too much for Mikey.

"Mikey, maybe…" Don began. "You sho-"

"The lady needs me!" Mikey grinned with a shrug as he pointed to Irma before sitting back down. "Sorry guys"

Leo exchanged a look with Raph before getting up. "It's fine. We'll clean it up, Sensei." Leo got up quickly. "Come on guys."

Raph snorted and grabbed hold of Don to pull him along while eyeing the back of Leo's head as he mimicked. "We'll clean it, sensei…. damn' teacher's pet" Raph teased.

"Ninja dropout," Leo smirked.

"Not now guys. I'm worried about Mikey and Irma" Don went to where they had a collection of towels and washcloths as he took some out.

"Who ya tellin'. She grabbed on him any damn harder, she might break his damn hard." Raph folded his arms.

"It's not just that…" Don paused.

"You mean the way she looked scared then it was like nothing? A few times I wasn't even sure what she was looking at exactly. Like she was somewhere else."

"Hmm…" Don went quiet as Raph looked back at Leo.

"I dunno. But that's a lot on Mikey whatever it is. I don't like it"

"I don't either but I'm not sure what else to do. You saw what happened when Mikey tried to move." Leo sighed. "This is…"

"Nuts?"

"Yeah. I think that covers it."

"So, what we gonna do then? Mikey can't babysit her forever. And like hell I'm gonna let him"

"Yeah, me nei-wait? Where Donnie?" Leo said suddenly before Raph looked around as well noticing the absence of the taller turtle.

"How much you wanna bet he had some idea and just walked off?"

"Is this a real bet?"

"Nah, not really. It's pretty obvious, Fearless" Raph smirked.

"Should have known. You're always broke." Leo smirked back and started walking off.

"Whatever." Raph nearly laughed as he followed his brother back to the main room. He slipped a hand into one of his pouches on his belt feeling it pulse as he felt a piece of paper and the device Mona gave him buzzing.

He pulled out the paper and noticed it was the one Casey gave him. He sighed before pocketing it back and pulling out the device instead.

"Yeah?"

Leo looked back at him with a questioning gaze before he gestured for Leo to go ahead. He watched Mona's face come up as he focused back on the phone call.

"Oh, good, I reached you. I needed to talk to you, and tell you…"

"Y'Gythgba!"

Raph rose a brow hearing the Sal commander's yell for his girlfriend. Mona's fingers touched the side some device and she slipped seamlessly from Earth language Salamandrian with the commander. He had no clue what they were saying before Mona returned turned back to the phone and her finger went to press it again.

He really hated when she did that. It just felt like more stuff he wasn't allowed to know or be part of when it came to her.

"I'm sorry, Raphael. I should get going. Call me later."

Raph frowned feeling what little spirits he had up, go down. "But it's already Tuesday here."

"Well, then. Who says we can't call each other on other days. On your Mondays, we will just make sure we reach each other. Sounds good?"

Raph bit his tongue. He was about to remind her of all the Mondays she'd missed before reminding himself that Mona had a whole military Air Fleet to think about. He should be glad she's trying at least.

"Yeah, good" he forced a smile.

"Good. Make sure you call me later then. Goodbye, Raphael" she smiled.

"Goodbye, Mo-" he watched her smile drop and her eyes narrowing.

"You still can't say it? G'thraka just said it!"

"Who!"

"The commander!"

"Oh…" Raph sighed. "Look I'm workin' on it. Just...it's not easy, aight? We don't got names like that here. "

"And we don't have names like Raphael here. Yet I remembered it. Bye." she hung up right as his mouth opened and he growled. His fingers moved to call her right back before he took a deep breath and stopped himself.

Later.

He'd call later. Maybe the stick would be out her ass by then.

"Yo! Mutants!"

Raph groaned hearing the voice as he made his way back. He and Casey were still on egg shells. He was about to wonder why the idiot was here until he remembered April was coming.

"I saw this at the entrance. It has Leo's name on it…"

"April!" Don cried out and Raph walked in to see him turning April from Irma, "What a pleasant surprise. And what pray tell brings you to our abode?"

Raph shook his head and muttered, "Can ya be any more obvious?"

April laughed before giving Don a look. "Donnie, what's going on? You called me remember."

"You I remember, Casey not so much…" Don mumbled before continuing. "Going on? Well um...it's kinda a long story."

"Donnie...," She paused and looked at him longer," Is it about yesterday? You know I understand, right?

"Yesterday?" Don repeated.

"See, you're so tired you don't even remember what it was yesterday do you?" April laughed as she continued. "Me. You. Tessen. Bo staff. Every Monday for months now?" she teased.

Don did a facepalm. "April I'm so so sorry."

"It's okay, Donnie. Master Splinter said you guys had an important patrol and the last time I saw you, you were barely holding on to consciousness" April smiled while Don looked sheepish.

Raph came closer and saw the box in April's hands. "Am I the only one who cares about shit like bombs or trackers gettin' snuck in?" he watched Leo look over the box carefully.

Don looked at it before starting to reach for the box "Raph has a point, maybe I shou-"

"No!" Leo grabbed the box. "I mean. No. It's fine. I knew it was coming"

"Since when? When ya even had time to get somethin' delivered? We been out all night and ya never said anything about waitin' for nothing." Raph looked at the package more before going to grab it.

"Raph!" Leo yelled while trying to get away.

"What's in the box, Leo?"

"Go away Ra-" Leo fell to the ground and before he could realize it he fell himself as he felt a tail swipe at his legs.

"Ow…"

"If you both don't mind. I would think it best you sit down." Splinter's voice was soft but firm.

"Woah. You guys got owned by a tail!" Mikey laughed while Raph snorted as he got up. He heard Casey laughing and eyed the other teen before plopping down on the bean bag.

Leo rubbed his arm a moment before sitting on the chair. Raph's eyes went over to April, "Ya ain't gonna go hug ya bestie?"

"My bestie?" April blinked before looking over. "Irma?" her voice was soft and Raph glanced to look over at Irma and saw her staring out again.

"I thought that was, Four-eyes. Where her glasses and the fake contacts?" Casey spoke up and Leo shrugged.

"We found her like this"

"She usually snaps out of it after a little while, Ape" Mikey gave a smile and gently rubbed Irma's back as April nodded.

"What the hell she snappin' out of?" Casey raised a brow.

"I think I have an idea but I'm not too sure yet." Don looked perplexed a moment and Raph looked to see Irma blink after a moment. The fear leaving her eyes as her hands stopped shaking.

"I... I'm sorry. I'm really no good with this anymore...or anything..."

"Don't say that, Irma" April frowned and Irma looked up.

"April?" Irma smiled a moment before frowning. Her eyes looking down as she brought her hands closer and Raph noticed her teacup now on the table. "You shouldn't be around me...no one should…"

"Hey…" April said softly as she came closer, moving on the other side of Irma. "Not true. I'm so glad to see you."

Irma just nodded and Raph could hear April sigh.

"Are you feeling any better?" Master Splinter asked, standing nearby with his cane in hand. Raph watched his dad, wondering if he sensed anything or felt anything about this girl. His father moved closer, and Raph wondered for the millionth time in his life why his dad even had a cane.

"Yes, I am," came Irma's soft reply though her eyes didn't seem to hold much emotion "Thank you."

"I hope you excuse my son for his behavior earlier. He, like many of us, have had frightening ordeals that still seem fresh. In time, I hope all wounds will be healed but of course, that takes time."

"Yeah...my bad, Irma," Raph grunted.

"Ordeals?" Irma repeated, nodding at Raph.

"He's talking about the Krang" April looked over at Irma and she stiffened immediately. Hands shaking as her eyes darted to and fro. "Irma?" April looked worried as Mikey's hand went back to rubbing Irma's back and after a moment her eyes seemed to focus.

"I..."

"Maybe we should talk about something else...I don't think Irma's doing okay…" April looked over at Master Splinter.

"Understatement of the fuckin' century," Raph muttered under his breath before he felt a cane hit him square on the head. He rubbed the spot while eyeing that damn stick. He was starting to get the idea why his dad had that damn thing.

"No, I'm fine." she didn't look up and instead her eyes stayed on the floor.

"Well…" Leo said slowly and Raph noticed Don hadn't said a word. One look at his genius brother and he could still see he was thinking about something deeply. "Do you know anything about some that might have made any that...looked like you?"

Irma's voice was still quiet and Raph let out a deep breath. "We all know she had to know somethin."

"We don't know that Raph" Mikey frowned at him but Raph was determined to look out for his baby brother even if Mikey was determined to be the naive one.

"But you don't either Mikey. I mean just look at her, sh-

"Enough." They both went quiet at their father's voice. "Only Miss Irma knows what she does or does not know. And it is her decision what relates to us. We cannot decide ourselves what she does or does know. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Master Splinter," Raph echoed along with Mikey before Master Splinter looked back at Irma.

"Now, is there anything you can tell us?"

Irma's brow furrowed as she wrung her hands together, "I saw it."

Raph looked at her, expecting her to continue but she continued to say nothing after that.

"Saw what exactly?" Leo asked.

"Oh. The..." She took a deep breath, "thing. Robot. The...the thing that looked like me..." she closed her eyes a moment before continuing. "It...it laughed...before…before everything went dark. I… I saw Ms. Campbell"

"Wait, why were you with her?" April looked confused.

"It was after that fight we had…" Irma trailed off while looking at her fingers, Raph noticed her pinching them from time to time. "The...hair one…"

"Ya...hair...?" Raph looked at everyone while wondering just how much more of this they had to listen to before it got to the point. He could see she had issues, but his patience was wearing a bit thin.

"She was trying to impress... Casey…" April made a face. "You changed your whole look. For a guy"

"Casey?" Raph repeated the name and blinked. She had a crush on Casey. _Did all these stupid women want Casey?_ He let out a deep breath.

"Oh really?" Casey smirked. "So, you were feeling Casey Jones?"

Mikey looked between Irma and Casey a moment, "Were."

"Huh?" Casey looked at Mikey.

"Were." Mikey repeated and stuck out his tongue. Raph nearly smirked at Casey from Mikey's reaction. The bonehead didn't have to act like he liked the attention so much.

"I…" Irma's hands had started shaking a bit and she practically slid into Mikey's lap. Raph thought if she got any closer she'd be in his baby brother's shell. She looked pensive a moment. "But I said I'm tired of being known as the weird girl with glasses. And she was like Irma no one thinks that. And then I wa-"

"Aight, aight, I get it. Ya changed ya hair!" he interrupted quickly. He watched her go wide-eyed and jump, holding tightly to Mikey again. He rubbed his temples while feeling glad that he didn't have any sisters.

April glared at him. "Raph…" she hissed.

"What?" he gave her a look while April sighed. "Look, my bad again." He was tired of the hair thing and something about her liking Casey didn't make him feel better about her. Even if it was the past.

"It's okay Irma…" she said softly but Irma still held on to Mikey as she nodded her head slowly.

"I just...I thought it'd give me an edge maybe? Make him notice me more and that maybe he'd be the one." her voice still bothered Raph, he had expected some change especially with April around more. Yet nothing.

"So, what happened with you and April after that?" Leo had taken a seat. His eyes went to Raph a moment before sliding closer to him as he whispered. "You see her eyes?"

Raph nodded as he looked at them. When not scared, or looking like she was seeing something that wasn't there. They held no spark, no life. The dull brown held no type of emotion. The only time he saw a bit of spark was her slight reactions to Mikey, but to April it seemed like she was inching away from her.

"I... we…" Irma's voice was quiet.

"I told her she didn't need to change" April gave Irma a worried look. "It was a bit much...don't you think Irma?" April sighed. "You know we can talk about this later...like much later"

"Yeah...purple and blue were a bit overboard...and maybe the contacts too." Irma gave a smile towards April but Raph noticed it looked tight and it didn't reach her eyes. "No, I'll talk…"

"I'm just saying...as your friend…" April said slowly.

"We're best friends!" Irma snapped suddenly, fury was in her eyes a moment before looking down, "Sorry...I..."

"It's cool Mia." Mikey gave her a grin. "April knows you guys are real cool. No worries."

"Can ya just get to the fuc-"

"Raphael..." Raph's head turned to see the stern look from his dad" Language."

"Can ya get to the point?" He growled out each word before getting a kick to his leg and glaring at Leo.

"Can't you pretend to be a little sensitive?" his brother whispered to him before he sighed with his eyes turning from him. "What my brother is trying to say, Irma, is… will you please continue?"

"But April is right. If this is too much for you. Then questions can always wait." Splinter spoke softly.

"Oh...okay…" She averted her eyes from them as she continued. "After our fight, I skipped lunch. I went to the library. That's where I saw Ms. Campbell and she um…someone got behind me...they hit me with something. It... it stung my arm. Then it got dark..." Irma's hands started to shake while gasping for air.

"Mia?" Mikey looked alarmed and started moving his hands to her face but Irma's eyes were unfocused and wide with fear.

"I woke up in this place. It was cold. My clothes were gone, they put me in this white suit thing. I... I was ...my hands together…can't move...she looks like me. She looks just like me..." Irma started to shake more as her breathing went erratic.

"Irma wake up!" Mikey started screaming as he shook her by her shoulders.

"Mikey stop shaking her!" Don moved quickly over and Mikey frowned as he was pulled away from Irma then she started to scream once no longer attached to the orange turtle.

"No! Stop!" her fists and feet started moving, as she kicked and screamed.

"She's going to hurt herself more, I need a tranquilizer." Don moved his hands to her arms to pin her down.

"No, wait!" Mikey frowned as Raph got up and grabbed hold of Irma's legs so she'd stop kicking them.

"I'll get it" Leo jumped up and ran off for Don's lab.

"What's wrong with her?" April cried.

"Besides from her being nuts?"

Raph heard a smack and glanced to see Casey looking wide-eyed at April and he could see her hand coming down with fire in her eyes. Raph saw a red handprint right on Casey's face yet Casey still hadn't moved as he just stared at her.

"Don't you ever say that again." she said each word with conviction as Raph looked from April's lowered hand to Casey's face then back to the hand.

"Ya hit him!" Raph roared and April jumped.

"He deserved it! He called he-"

"I don't give a fuck what he did, ya don't ever hi-"

"Guys not now!" Don yelled but Raph was growling. Every bruise on Casey coming to mind from a different hand as he thought April's hand that just hit the other teen.

"Everyone calm down!"

Raph blinked before looking towards his father who came closer to Irma. "I think it's best you all stop holding her down like an animal. "

Don's mouth gaped. "But Master Splin-"

"You're just making her worst!" Mikey yelled and Raph looked over at his baby brother. "She only got this bad after you guys started doing that."

"Mikey. Dad. I'm just looking at this from a medical standpoint…"

"But sometimes science stuff isn't the answer, D…"

"And you think you have the answer, Mikey?" Don's voice had a slight bite to it and Raph knew why. It was bad enough when Don didn't think he could fix something but for someone else to say he couldn't, never went well.

"I dunno...I just have a feeling…" Mikey frowned.

"Mikey…"

"I think you should listen to Michelangelo. Sometimes all we have are feelings. And they prove us right." Splinter laid a hand on Don who sighed.

Don looked back at Raph and nodded at him as he let Irma go. Raph wasn't too sure about this plan but looked over at his dad then Mikey as he let her legs go. He looked to see Leo coming back into the room with some darts.

"What's going on?" Leo said slowly.

"Mikey has an idea…" April said quietly. The tension in the air was still thick as Mikey went closer to Irma.

 _If we all die. I'm blamin' Mikey..._

Raph couldn't believe they were actually putting this in the hands of his baby brother. No one spoke or moved as he gathered the girl in his arms and started humming a song that sounded familiar to his ears.

"Isn't that…" Leo's mouth stayed opened and stared as Irma slowly stopped shaking.

"The lullaby I used to sing to the four of you" Splinter's voice held a fondness in it as Raph looked up to his father, his eyes on the scene with a gentle smile.

Mikey kept rocking and humming before slowly she relaxed. No longer clinging so tightly to him. Raph released the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"That worked?" Don stared at the scene with a perplexed look.

"Sorry..." Irma murmured with her face against Mikey's plastron. "...what did I say?"

Raph's eyes went to the cushions now on the floor. And then went to bruises now on Don's face that Irma gave to him as he shook his head. "Don't worry bout it, pretty sure we got the picture. Sides ya probably need a break," Raph mumbled and ignored the surprised looks coming his way.

"I agree. Michelangelo, how about you take Irma with you into the kitchen while the rest of us discuss what we have heard?"

Raph heard his dad's suggestion and though he didn't completely agree with it. He could tell they weren't getting much more out of her and Mikey seemed the only one she was responding to at the moment.

"Kay!" Mikey grinned as he picked up Irma carefully, "Don't worry, Mia. I never dropped a person before! Well, there was that one time with Spike..."

"What?" Raph's head snapped to his baby brother. "What time with Spike?"

"Uuuuh...nothing!" Mikey practically ran with the girl in his arms.

"Be careful with her, Mikey!" Leo yelled.

"Irma you're gonna love Ice Cream Kitty! And I even have this hidden stash of orange crush…," Mikey went inside the kitchen still talking.

"Is it a good idea to have them alone in the kitchen, Master Splinter? She seems to be dealing with a lot and Mikey is..." Leo gave a worried glance to the kitchen.

"Mikey." Raph finished.

"I would not worry." Their dad spoke in a calm tone.

"How ya know? Some ol' ninja trick?" Raph wondered.

"Yes. It's called a gut feeling," Master Splinter smirked, and Raph heard a snicker to his right. He snorted before elbowing Donnie right in his midsection and smirked at the slight groan.

"The night has been over for a long time, and it's now dawn. You all need your rest. Perhaps later we can figure out more answers but for now, we need a different solution to our problems. I recommend Mikey taking Irma to the medroom's bed and perhaps singing to her as you give her something to help her sleep, Donatello. Good night, everyone." Splinter said to them before making his way out the common area.

Raph rubbed a hand over his face, he felt exhausted. And not just physically.

"Any idea how Karai fits, Don?" Leo looked over at Don, only for the purple-masked turtle to shake his head.

"Not a clue." Don sighed.

"And ya supposed to be the smart one," Raph joked, hiding his confusion. A yawn came out of him and he rubbed at his eyes. This whole thing had been long and confusing. Karai was there as they saved the city, no scratch that, as they saved the whole damn world.

"All we do know is that teacher drugged her. They clearly did some stuff to her as well..." Don frowned.

"And they made the switch. I didn't even notice... I was just so glad we were talking again after fighting over something so stupid…"

"It's not your fault April" Don laid a hand on April's shoulder and April looked up at him with a smile. Raph took a glance at Casey noticing him now silent against the wall, further from everyone.

"It's no one's fault but, how are we going to get answers…" Leo started to pace. "Especially when we have the key to the answers. Or at least some of them. But said key is unavailable."

"And if ya'll ain't noticed she's jumpier than a rabbit." Raph snorted while moving to get up. His eyes went to the forgotten box on the floor with only Leo's name on it.

"Raph's right. We push her too much now she'll have another episode. And it could be much worse than the last one." Don explained. "I actually might have an idea what's wrong with her...but I'd need at least a month to be sure…"

"So, our choices are Jumpy or find Leo's girlfriend." Raph snorted.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Leo snapped and narrowed his eyes as Raph inched to the box.

"Are you guys talking about Karai?" April looked over in their direction.

"You know I could be nothing going on." Leo huffed.

"So, you're just holding on to that box too much because…" April drew out the last word with a small smirk.

"Who says I'm holding on to it. It could be empty" Leo barely shook the box and Raph just shook his head at how stupid it looked. "See empty. Nothing to see here."

"Um, yeah. Not buying it Leo" April snickered.

Raph started to roll his eyes at his older brother before they widened suddenly as he remembered something he promised to do. He rushed out the room ignoring the stares behind him.

"Raph?"

Raph paused mid-run, that voice that usually yelled as loud as he did was quieter. He turned to look back, seeing Casey move from the wall while ignoring everyone else still.

"Where ya goin?"

"I…" Raph went quiet. Their last talks that involved Mona or April didn't go well. Yet at the same time, he was tired of eggshells around Casey. Why should he bother caring about how Casey always seemed to get a pained look when he mentioned Mona.

The idiot went ahead and dated April without a thought to his little brother. And ever since he started dating her it annoyed him more than he cared to admit. He took a deep breath.

"Nothin," he said simply as he kept going. He ignored the dark eyes that narrowed at him, and the glances between him and Casey as he kept moving.

The moment he made it inside his room he took the device out his pouch and kicked the door closed. He dialed the familiar number while taking a seat on the bed, holding it in his hand while waiting for the thing to connect.

His eyes went to the clock after he yawned again. It had only been a few hours since Mona. _Wait, nah. It's Y…something called._ He really wished she'd have an easier name so this wouldn't be a stupid issue.

He drummed his fingers on the bed while looking at the whirling projections connection screen. He looked back at the clock, feeling frustrated as minutes passed and she still hadn't answer.

"Y'b...Y's...Yfrob?" he tried practicing and made a face at the rough sounding sounds coming out of him. "I wonder can their names translate…clearly nah" he thought of that device Mona had and how her name sounded worse in Salamandrian than English.

He glanced over at his alien pet turtle's tank with the letters spelling out _Chompy Picasso_ at the top. Casey had got it for him after he refused to use the same tank he had for Spike, who was now Slash, the mutant turtle. He sighed at the memory, trying to push it away and concentrate on the call he was making.

He took another look at the clock while getting more comfortable on the bed before he noticed a lone drumstick. He picked it up and twirled it with his free hand while his mind wandered to Casey again. The red stood out on his pale cheek and infuriated him. He never wanted to hurt April so badly before.

He dropped the drumstick as his eyes went to the clock again. A whole hour had passed and the whirl of the connection screen hadn't stopped.

"Damn it, Mona! Answer!" He picked up the device, yelling at it. "Weren't you the one said call back! Weren't you the one said any day!" he kept yelling at it as he felt his temper grow worse before dropping it back on the bed with a frustrated grunt. He took deep breaths as his hands covered his face.

He remembered her slipping him the small device since neither knew when would be the next time that they would see each other.

 _"Or if ever again,"_ he thought bitterly.

Raph had no intention of ever leaving Earth and Mona was a lieutenant with her own troops, so they agreed to try the device on what his planet called Mondays. It was an agreement for both of them and it excited him at the time that he had someone.

Lately, he wondered why he bothered. The first time had gone well, and the second did too. After those times, he realized what being a lieutenant meant and how much she'd be gone. Between the classified missions and sometimes just missing the other, it was a damn headache. Like now.

He rubbed his temples before getting off the bed, putting the device back in his pouch. Maybe she'd call back later or something. Or maybe she was just too busy for him. Always too busy for him. He could feel his spirits dropping more and he tried to push it down before more thoughts came.

"She loves me. And I care bout her, so it's all good," he told himself for what felt the millionth time since they'd began the relationship. He looked at the clock a moment before he remembered Casey's words. He wouldn't be able to sleep now that it hit his mind.

He got out of his room with the intention while thinking if anyone had an idea where to look or a book it'd be his purple masked little brother.

"Yo Donnie! Do we gotta book on newts?" he yelled.


	11. Angry Turtle : This is not a game

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.**

 **All previous warnings apply.**

* * *

Raph closed his door fast and leaned against it after escaping his brother's lab. Taking Casey's advice on finding out more about newts seemed a good idea at the time. But now, Raph was shuddering at the new information Don gave him. _Rashes?_

He quickly touched his nose and face. Then looked in a mirror. Was he red somewhere? He could remember the sick feelings in his stomach vaguely after their nose rubs. Was that him getting poisoned? Was he sick now? Did he let Don check him?

He looked over his skin more, trying to remember if anything felt weird when he took a shower today. Bumps? Any there? He grimaced as the image of Mikey's time with "acne" came to mind. Would he look like that? Damn it; now Don gave him a complex. He went to turn on the lamp in his room so he could see better.

Did he confront Mona about what he learned? And what the hell he'd be confronting her on? Was it her fault her people had skin made toxic snot. He was glad they never kissed like the ones he had seen before on tv before remembering another symptom.

Was explosive diarrhea really a thing? And did you really explode? What the hell was even exploding? Damn, now I'm askin' questions like Mikey.

Why the fuck did everything have to be so damn complicated!

he growled to himself while thinking about Mona and then on to Casey. When he went to grab Don, there was no sign of the bonehead or April. And he was guessing that Mikey and Irma were still in the kitchen.

The image of that red print to Casey's face nearly made him growl. His dumbass father put his hands on Casey enough without April adding to it. Was April doing it again? Was Casey telling her? Were they making up? He held his head in hands as everything weighed on him, pushing him closer to the edge.

Raph got up and sat on the edge of the bed with his head in hands a moment until he glanced over at his open weapon locker. The shuriken inside seemed to gleam at the sharp edges. While getting up, he felt his pulse start to race while his fingers brushed against the bandages on his wrist. The room was silent as he reached over to one, holding it in his hand before looking back at his bandaged wrist.

Just once...

He exhaled as he pulled at the end of the bandages and started to unravel them revealing scarred green skin. Jagged lines on scarred flesh, some cleaner than others. Raph traced a finger over a larger one. The moment he bought the shuriken to his skin and started to add some pressure a memory came over him.

"Promise me ya won't do dis shit again!"

He felt lean arms around him, that only seemed to get tighter but it only made him want to struggle until he felt wetness on his shoulder where Casey's head lay.

Casey? Is he cryin?

Raph was about to make a joke if just to get the human off his damn back until Casey pulled back and turned Raph to face him. Those dark eyes were swirled in pain as Raph felt Casey's grip tight on his biceps and the words felt caught in his throat at the wet streaks down his best friends' cheeks.

"PROMISE ME!" Casey yelled again, shaking him as Raph started nodding dumbly.

"I... I promise."

Clank!

His breathing was uneven as he looked down where the shuriken dropped to the floor and then his own shaking hands.

What was he about to do? He swallowed harshly as he picked it up and threw it in frustration with his hands going over his eyes a moment.

"What the hell?" Casey yelled as Raph looked towards where he threw the shuriken and at the dark teen at his door standing there. Casey looked between him and the shuriken lodged in the doorway.

"Ya almost took my head off!" he pulled it out and laid it on the shelf after closing the door behind him.

"Ya point? We wouldn't miss much." Raph turned from Casey's direction while feeling eyes still on him. "Ya forgot what I look like or somethin Jones? Watya here for anyway?" he moved to grab some food for Chompy.

"Ya neva answered my question..."

Raph went still right as he looked down to see the alien turtle chomp on the lettuce still in his hand.

What question?" Raph mumbled it as that slip of paper came to mind and dropped the lettuce in Chompy's tank.

"What que-Really, Raph? I…" Casey sighed. "Look, I get ya pissed about the Don thing"

"Don't…" Raph whirled around. "Just don't, cuz ain't a damn thing ya can say in that direction to make shit betta. Ya fucked my brother over. The end." he glared before moving past him and grabbing the shuriken Casey laid down.

"Then why the hell help me?" Casey yelled and Raph kept moving, putting the weapon back in the locker with the other extras. His eyes going to his other ninja gear as he let out a deep breath.

"Cuz unlike you I give a damn bout my friends..." his eyes narrowed as he turned facing Casey.

"Ya act like I did that shit on purpose!"

"Ya did! Cuz ya knew! Ya knew how Donnie felt! It was different when ya both were goin fo' her and ya wasn't even friends with him. I let that slide! But you knew Case! Ya acted like my brother's best buddy then stab him in the back! Ya knew they got close!"

"So ya just gonna blame me?" Casey yelled back.

"Who said I was? But you the one in front of me! So, congrats!" Raph started to pace. "Bad enough I had to watch ya replace me with my little brother…"

"Wait…what?"

"But then on top of that shit, ya do this? So, you can kiss my ass." Raph breathed heavily while Casey stared at him.

"Wish ya just talk to me…"

"What ya talkin bout?" Raph's eye ridge raised. "We is talkin'..."

"Talkin'? Ya mean this bitchin' at each other and steppin' around each other? And I know it ain't just Don...it's...I dunno. But it's more..." Casey folded his arms while watching him but Raph only rolled his eyes before going back to looking over his gear.

"Ain't shit goin' on Jones…" Raph let out another breath after a smirk in Casey's direction, feeling his heart race a moment as a sick feeling came over him. Lying to Casey felt wrong. If he had come in just a few moments earlier...

Raph shook the image from his head, not wanting to even think about how that would have gone. He picked up a few weapons and laid them out carefully. He was trying to keep his hands busy and give himself something else to focus on. Raph noticed the silence in the room with each clank of the weapons as he started to shine and replace them in the rack.

"So now ya lyin to me?"

Raph paused, the tone was quiet and flat to his ears. He didn't even want to turn around and look into Casey's eyes. Raph stayed quiet, forcing himself to continue even as he felt eyes burning him from behind.

"Are ya? What the fuck happened to not lyin' to each other?" Casey paused only a moment just to continue. "I mean damn! I thought we could tell each other everythin'!"

Raph growled, unable to stop it as things came to mind. The list of things he couldn't even tell or talk to Casey about made his blood boil as he thought about it. Anger was easier, much easier as he whirled around and looked into those dark eyes that stared back into his. Then his eyes slipped to Casey's lips and his skin flushed as he growled louder in frustration. His emotions were wild and going everywhere.

"How ya even know I'm lyin!" he yelled while moving closer, every intention of getting in Casey's space to force him to back down. The other teen's eyes were full of fire as Raph came closer, they were chest to chest as he clenched his fist. Without looking, he knew Casey was just as tense as him.

"Cuz I know you," Casey emphasized each word with narrowed eyes, his face moving in closer and Raph could smell the weird mix of pizza and mint off Casey's breath. His eyes went to Casey's lips again, puffy and red with a bruise in the corner that was healing. He swallowed, suddenly Casey's hand gripped his arm.

"Raph…"

Raph shivered, Casey's touch was burning him and he felt a war with himself with what to do next. His brain left him, muddied thoughts took over and every part of him started to crave...something.

"I jus…" Casey was closer, so was Raph. "Do ya hear me?"

"Yeah…" Raph could barely recognize his own wavering voice. He could hear his own breath. Casey's breath. He swore he could hear their heartbeats in his dimly lit room. "Casey...I…" Do I tell ya everythin? Everything bugging him. About April. Don. Mona…

This feelin'?

"Seventeen…"

"Wait, What?" Raph looked back at Casey as he came out his thoughts. Realizing the lack of space between them, Raph quickly moved back.

"Ya got seventeen smirks. And that's the one ya always do when ya hidin' shit!" Casey yelled and Raph blinked as he wondered what the hell just happened. Casey's eyes narrowed, but Raph couldn't find it in him to be bothered by the glare.

"Ya counted my smirks?" Raph looked at Casey whose cheeks started to red.

"Th-th-that ain't the point." Casey murmured as he looked away. "I was just, ya know, stating facts. And uh…" Casey trailed off as Raph's brow ridge rose. He wasn't sure what to make of it all. "Look that just ain't the point!" Casey huffed and Raph would have laughed, if nor for his own confusion on his own feelings.

"Then what da point is?" Raph snorted. Words weren't his thing and they weren't Casey's. It made this whole thing harder. Whateva this thing is…

"It's..." Casey stopped talking, turning back to face Raph as he came closer. Raph didn't have a chance to move as suddenly Casey's hand was on his arm again. A few moments more, and they were back to being chest to chest.

Dark eyes looked into his own and Raph was forgetting again as he backed against the wall, Casey following him. "Case…"

"I jus…" Casey's finger traced and Raph hissed, feeling the spot where he prodded his skin with the shuriken. Guess I went did mo' than I thought…damn. He knew he hadn't done much, he had even stopped himself, yet the Casey stiffened.

"What were ya doin..."

Raph went still himself, not wanting the guilt that had crept up on him. I stopped. It don't matta, cuz I stopped. Raph took deep breaths looking at Casey.

"What ya talkin' bout…" Raph began to ask, but Casey had taken matters in his own hand. Pulling Raph's arm close to him, only for Raph to snatch it back. The memory of that promise hung over him, and he hid his arm behind his back. "Jus back off, aight?"

"Not till ya talk to me. Wat ya even hidin?" Casey tried to look behind Raph, but he wasn't moving an inch. "Ya act like ya can't even fuckin talk to me no mo! Every time I try lately ya act li-"

"I can't talk to ya!" Raph snapped, shoving Casey out his way. "So, get off my nuts!"

"I'm jus worried!"

"Ya wanna worry bout someone?" Raph glared, his anger taken over. "How bout ya worry bout April cuz I ain't ya fuckin' business!" His body shook, as he glared at the teen in front of him. He thought of every moment he saw them together. Every time Casey would flirt or make some attempt at the red head.

Raph watched Casey's eyes go wide with his mouth agape until it slowly closed. Time stood still, and he looked at Raph with fury and anguish.

"April, huh? Not you…" Casey gave a bitter laugh, his head dropping with his hands curling into fists. Raph was starting to calm and felt his guilt swallowing him whole.

I ain't meant that, Case. I didn't…The words were stuck and the Casey shook his head as Raph tried to piece his words together. "Case…I…Lemme explain…"

"Nah, don't worry bout it." Casey's voice was monotone as Raph looked. "Ya made yaself clear." Raph could feel his heart sink.

"I ain't meant it like that!" Raph yelled, but Casey's expression was unreadable.

"Then wat ya mean?"

"I jus…fuck."

"Then talk to me…say somethin. Tell me wat da hell were ya doin befo I came in here?"

"Can't…"

Casey nodded once and turned to go out the door. "Aight, I get it…"

"Ca-"

"By da way, Leo wanted ya." Casey stopped and looked back at him. The door slammed behind him, and Raph wanted to punch a wall.

Raph stood speechless, clenching his fists. He wasn't sure what to do next as the pain built up inside him. It's jus, Casey…

It's jus…

"FUCK!" He stormed to the door punching it, ignoring the aching throb from his knuckles as he let his head hit the door. He heard munching sounds behind him and slowly looked back. His eyes fell on Chompy. The small alien turtle's beak seemed to form a smile and Raph couldn't find the energy to return it.

Raph sighed, plopping down on the bed as Chompy made his way into his lap. The little guy always somehow got out his tank, but it never bothered Raph. He brushed a finger under the baby alien turtle's chin, hearing a soft sound from him.

"Sorry, ya had to see that little guy…" Raph laid back on the bed, feeling little feet crawling on top of him. He reached over to where he kept treats for Chompy and let some lay on his plastron so Chompy could munch on it.

"I don't get why he's actin' like dis. We were fine before he started dating April. But then he dates her and everythin' changes. An' I'm s'ppose to be cool with all of it? What about Don, Chompy? Did he think bout my brotha at all? You get what I'm saying, right?" Raph looked at Chompy happily munched on another treat.

"Yeah, I knew ya did." Raph let out a small chuckle as he rubbed under Chompy's chin. "Then there's this girl who s'ppose to be Irma. And Leo's head is so far up Karai's ass he doesn't see straight." He shook his head as he continued. "Then Mona…"

Raph sighed, letting his head rest on the pillow. "Why everything so damn complicated…" Raph mumbled then heard another soft sound from Chompy. He looked to see the small alien turtle doing that sorta smile again and Raph chuckled.

"Yeah. I know I said I was bored before, guess I can't complain now. Everythin's jus so fucked up." Raph's voice got quieter. "An' I keep messin' up…" His hand went up as he looked at the trickle of blood and his hand he in a fist. "Hard not to get pissed." He felt a nudged against him and looked at Chompy, and chuckled, feeling glad to not sink into that dark space. "Ya know, I'll hafta get you a special treat lata."

Raph moved to get up, picking up Chompy and setting the alien turtle back into his tank. "Just remember our promise, if it looks like goo no going near it. Deal?" He held out another treat to Chompy as the small turtle started to bite and chew. "Cool," Raph gave a genuine smile.

Raph looked towards the door wondering who all heard his and Casey's fight. He knew dad said to rest, but he'd feel more comfortable knowing that Irma was somewhere behind a locked door before he went to sleep. He opened the door and went back to Chompy's tank.

"I'll be back little guy, promise" Raph, picked up the alien turtle a moment as he cooed with his face against Chompy's in a small nuzzle.

"Aww, so cute!"

Raph's face heated up at the sound of his baby brother's voice before he started to growl as he turned around, "Mikey!"

"Don't stop the cute because of me dude!" Mikey laughed as Raph made a grab for him. He wasn't even surprised he missed as he took off after his youngest brother.

"Stop runnin' so I can kill ya!"

"Gonna have to pass!" Mikey kept laughing as he ran, going straight towards Don and Leo. Raph skidded to a stop as Mikey kept going. "Booyakasha!"

"Mikey!" Leo and Don yelled as Mikey did a flip over both their heads.

Raph stood and looked at his baby brother taunting him from behind his older and younger brother with his hands to his head and his tongue out. Raph thought about it and slowly started moving backward.

Leo was shaking his head at the youngest turtle. "Mikey, you shouldn't do that. It's dangerous, not to mention…"

"Um, Leo…" Don shook the blue masked turtle's shoulder as Raph charged forward. "I think we should move…"

"Why do you say tha-" Leo's eyes widened as Raph charged forward, waving his hands in front as Don tried moving them both out the way.

"Raph! Wait! You don't have eno-" Don nearly squeaked as Raph narrowly missed Don and landed on Leo as they made a heap on the floor. "Momentum to jump two people…" Don mumbled while Raph shook his head to clear the dizziness.

"Ow…" Leo groaned.

"Guys! What happened?" April rushed in from the dojo along with Casey behind her as Raph stood up. He gave a shrug and looked around, wondering where Mad Hatter was since she wasn't with April.

Raph stopped his search as he caught Casey move closer to April with an arm going around her, and pulling her closer. Raph barely paid attention to the surprised look on the girl's face as his blood started to boil. Casey was holding her close with his arms wrapping around her, and the scene was driving him insane.

The memory of when Casey first told him he'd be dating April came, and that familiar anger that bubbled in him. He had full expected displays like this back then, but it never happened. Raph didn't bother questioning his own relief every time Casey had bits of space between him and April. There always seemed to be some invisible wall or line that Raph never questioned.

Bastard…

He couldn't remember once when the two were this close and it was driving him mad. Casey's lips moved to her shoulder and April's eyes widened.

"Casey!" she swatted at him as she wiggled away from him.

"Uh bro…" Mikey tapped his shoulder, but Raph didn't answer. He kept watching the two as April talked low to Casey. He never felt this left out before and he tried to make out what she was saying as a smug expression was etched on Casey's face.

"Raphie?"

"What?" Raph heard the nickname, his usual annoyance at it was overpowered by something else. He narrowed his eyes at the two teens in the room, crossing his arms at the feeling in his chest.

"You're kinda growling. It's a bit creepy."

"Huh?" Raph looked over at his baby brother.

"You didn't know you were doing it? The growling thing?" Mikey asked and Raph noticed a look pass over his baby brother's face as the orange masked turtle seemed to watch him carefully.

Raph snorted, looking away quickly as he wished for pockets. Sometimes Mikey seemed too smart… "It's nothin'." He let out a deep breath, no longer wanting to look in that direction and looked over at Don. The kicked puppy look on his brother's face was making Raph want to kick the bonehead who put the look there.

He nudged Don while taking a deep breath to put a lid on his temper. "If Mikey and April's here, where's Mad Hatter?"

"Mad Ha-Oh, you mean Irma?" Don's expression slowly changed and Raph was glad it didn't look as pained. It was only slight relief, Raph knew how Don kept things to himself.

"Yeah, her."

"She's sleeping in the medroom." Mikey answered, and Raph looked over to see his baby brother frowning." Don gave her a shot, she kinda had a small...itsy bitsy...teeny weeny change when Leo mentioned the Krang"

Raph brow rose at Mikey, "Teeny, huh?" He gave Mikey a long look as the orange-masked turtle's eyes shifted. Shaking his head, Raph looked over at Don and Leo. "So, when he says teeny…"

"She was okay at first." Leo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Even talked a bit, and let April give her a hug but then…"

"But what?" Raph looked at his oldest brother and to Mikey and Don not even looking at him. "Ya'll actin' like she took one of ya off guard and grabbed a weapon?" He laughed at his own joked, but noticed no one was laughing with him.

"Well…" Don mumbled, still looking to the floor. His little brother looked exhausted and not even Mikey had said anything back.

"She did for real?" Raph stared at his brothers, more-so wondering why was that girl still there. "An' all ya did was tuck her in for bed?"

"She didn't mean it!" Mikey said quickly. "She just… doesn't like people saying the K word. It's not her fault. She's fine with the C word though"

"Um, Mikey. They both start with K…" Don sighed.

"Nu uh. Krang is K, and Karai is a C. It's like the C in copper, D. Jeez, didn't you pay attention back when Master Splinter taught us that."

"Mikey that's not…" Don sighed. "Never mind"

"Wait, you guys had to learn stuff? Like school?" Raph glanced at Casey seeing the surprise on the teen's face. "I thought you guys just learned cool ninja stuff"

"How did you think we learned to read…. among other things" Don gave Casey a look, but Casey only shrugged.

"I dunno, dude. Neva thought about it."

"A ninja is not only strong in body but also the mind. We're homeschooled." Leo explained. "Same as Master Splinter as he grew up in the dojo."

"Sounds borin'..." Casey mumbled. April punched his arm and Raph saw the dark hair teen wince. He barely held back at growling at April.

"Speaking of school, we have it in..." April looked at her watch. "A few hours." She looked at each of them as she looked up. "Will Irma be okay here?"

"Yep! I'll keep an eye on her, April! No worries" Mikey grinned.

"So, once again we dependin' on Mikey about crazy chick?" Raph looked at everyone. "Are we tryin' to die?"

"I got it, Raph. Like a turtle do, bro" Mikey laughed.

"We'll all check on her in shifts. I'm sure Master Splinter will as well, and Don has to make sure she sleeps okay through the night." Leo took a moment, and Raph knew his brother was only waiting to see if anyone disagreed.

"Need me to take first watch?" Raph spoke up and Leo shook his head. "Or…"

"Nah, it's cool." Raph didn't have it in him to argue with his brother. The idea of not being the one to keep his brothers safe bothered him, but Raph was fighting just to hold a conversation. His temper being the only thing keeping him standing even though part of him did want to go straight for Karai right now for some answers

"I will, so everyone else get some rest." Leo looked at him, Mikey and Don. "We need all the rest we can get. "We'll see you guys when you get out of school" He looked over at Casey and April.

"Who says I'm goin?" Casey rose a brow and April gave him a look. Raph snorted at the exchange and Casey looked at him.

"Problem, Jones?"

"Nope" Casey gave a smirk, but it didn't reach his eyes. His arm went around April's waist again and pecked her cheek with his eyes cutting at Raph.

"Do ya gotta be up on her every second?" Raph snapped as Casey glared at him.

"She's my girlfriend."

"Did ya just emphasize girlfriend?" Raph moved towards Casey, his hands curling into fists. "Good to know ya don't even give a damn about how others feel, Jones."

"Ya know that ain't true…" Casey came closer, fire in his eyes. "So, shut up."

"Nah, lemme say good job to you and April first. I'm jus wonderin' what's next. Ya invitin' Donnie to ya'll weddin?" Raph snorted. "Shows how much ya give a damn, huh?"

"Raph!" April shouted, but Raph ignored it.

"You wanna talk about feelings when ya nothin', but a liar?" Casey yelled and Raph's eyes narrowed.

"Ya wanna call me a liar, when yo-"

"Raph! That's enough!" Leo interrupted and Raph felt his muscles tense, he was more than ready to hit something. He took several deep breaths

"I think after some rest we'll all feel better, we still have patrol tonight." Leo gave Raph a long look until finally looking over to April. "During the patrol, do you think you can stay here with Master Splinter to help with Irma? Maybe it'll make her feel better."

"I don't think so, Leo…" Mikey spoke up and Leo looked over at Mikey.

"Why?"

"Yeah, why, Mikey?" April crossed her arms with a frown. Raph bit his tongue not to make a smart remark.

"Not saying you're bad or anything, Ape! I just…I dunno. I think she feels kinda bad about people in her past. But I did tell her you still wanna be her friend and stuff."

"What do you think, Don?" Leo looked over at the purple-masked turtle as Raph fought back a yawn.

"I'm not sure. That could be the case, and if it is that would confirm my diagnosis more. Still, it's too early for me to say for sure. We just have to be careful…"

"So, I have to be careful around my own best friend?" April frowned more.

Don started to frown as well and rubbed the back of his neck. "I just don't want you or her hurt. She's been through a lot. Please try to understand?"

April sighed. "I understand, Donnie." Her smile was barely there as she continued. "Thank you for trying to help her. I'll be back after school."

"Yeah, an' I'll be back after a na-" Casey began and stopped as he looked at April. Her eyes had narrowed and Casey sighed. "I'll be back after school…" he mumbled.

"Good." Leo nodded. "And while April's here with Irma. The five of us can go out."

"The five?" Raph looked at his brother confused. Last he checked there was four of them, not five. Not unless he was counting April, but she was staying with Irma and Master Splinter. Unless he meant…

"Casey's coming with us," Leo answered before Raph could process it. He blinked, looking between his older brother and the dark-haired teen.

"Leo, ya can't be serious!"

Leo looked surprised, "I thought you'd be glad to have Casey come"

Raph didn't bother to explain and shook his head. "That's if he done makin' kissy faces at April." If he had to watch those two anymore, he'd lose it and quickly.

"What I do with April's my business!" Casey snapped.

"Not if we all can see it, bonehead!" Raph yelled back.

"Since when ya care who sees what?" Casey moved from April and got in Raph's face making him growl. "Every time I looked, Mona was pickin ya up like a bit-"

"Guys!" April yelled, interrupting Casey.

Raph felt his blood boiling as he snarled at Casey. At some point, they had gotten face to face, and Raph could hear his heart racing. Casey's eyes were smoldering and there was no space left between them.

"Uh. I think I'm gonna go to bed now…" Mikey murmured.

Raph barely heard his baby brother's voice. The world seemed to fade and he couldn't keep his eyes off Casey. Raph's fists clenched.

I wanna hit...kick his ass… I wanna...I wan…His eyes stayed stuck on Casey's lips. A throat cleared and Raph jumped.

"If you two are done..." Leo pointed between him and Casey. "I think we all need some rest."

Raph nodded, turning on his heel without looking at anyone and quickly made his way to his room. His legs moved fast down the hall and he slid in his room fast as possible. He wasted little time in slamming the door shut and leaned against it with his eyes closed and his heart pounding.

Raph opened his eyes slowly and looked from the bed to the tank. Seeing Chompy inside and asleep. "At least one of us isn't losin' their shit…" he muttered and faceplanted on the bed. He barely closed his eyes before drifting to sleep.

"So ya think I'm the whole package, Raph?"

Raph blinked at Casey, confused on how this came up and even more confused how he got here as he looked around seeing the city horizon. He expected to feel the chill of winter air, but surprisingly he didn't.

"Right?

Raph took a quick look around the area to make sure that his brothers weren't around. It'd be just his luck if Mikey decided to pop up. He looked back at Casey and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, Case you the whole…" he took one quick look around again, "package," he mumbled the words while watching the wide grin spread on Casey's face. Raph felt warm inside from being the one to put it there.

"Hell yeah, I am!" Casey gave a wink and moved closer as he licked his lips. "Even you'd want me." He chuckled huskily and Raph's eyes went wide. His pulse sped up as he forgot how to breathe. "Right, Raph?"

Wait…what? Raph's head was screaming. Back the fuck up. What did he just ask? Abort! Just fucking abort!

Casey came close, his eyes never leaving Raph. Raph felt like his heart would jump out his plastron as his friend cornered him then leaned in.

"Uh...yeah..." Raph swallowed harshly as his cheeks heated up. He breathed heavy, trying to keep his eyes off Casey's lips that were dangerously close. "It'd be a plus if you were less of a bonehead, but beggars can't be choosers," he chuckled.

"Fuck you man," Casey laughed and started to lean in. Lips brushed against his and Raph was sure his heart stopped.

"Case, dun sto-".

"Raph!"

Raph jumped up from the bed and looked around, his heart beating fast still as he slowly eyed the door that stood between him and a future dead leader of a turtle.

"What!"

"We need to get going!" Leo knocked a few times and opened the door peeking in. "April and Casey are already here. So, let's get going unless you plan on sleeping through the evening too."

"Oh, yeah... aight." Raph nodded, rubbing a hand down his face.

"Are you okay?"

Raph looked up again and nodded as he tried to not think of that dream. "Yeah, I'm comin'."

He heard the door close and took a deep breath. He still couldn't believe they were going to go look for Karai with Casey. He groaned, falling back on the bed as he stretched his limbs. Sleeping with his stuff on was the worse decision he ever made.

Raph quickly left his room and went to take a shower, letting the hot water massage his aching muscles. He dried up and dressed quickly after brushing his teeth. It was hard to keep his mind focused as he got ready. The moment he was in the main room with his gear on, he went over to his brothers hearing Leo starting.

"Okay, guys. Master Splinter has the girls in the Zen room. He thinks it'll be more relaxing for Irma, and he's going to see if meditation will help her any. Now when we go out there, we stick together. We don't know what Karai and her soldiers have on them…"

"I'm gonna guess more anti-mutant weapons…" Raph mumbled.

"You know what I mean…" Leo continued after throwing Raph a look. "Don's already put in the coordinates of several warehouses close by Krang facilities, that's the route we're taking."

"Guys!" Casey yelled out and Raph tried to slow the way his heart raced the moment he heard that voice. Raph took a glance at the wall clock though it was obvious that he slept through the rest of Tuesday all the way to Wednesday evening.

"I miss anythin'?

"No, we're leaving now." Leo looked over at Casey. "Don give us a general map of where Karai is headed."

Raph glanced at Casey, seeing a smirk on his face and quickly looked away as the teen turned his head and his eyes nearly caught his own. Raph wasn't even sure what to say to Casey, but he wasn't apologizing. He could still see the way Casey had pulled April to him in his head and he nearly growled at the image.

"And I get to hit people, right?" Casey started to grin more, practically bouncing on his feet.

"You can even hit them twice if they're still standing…" Leo chuckled as he started to move and Raph went to follow. He could hear his brothers follow along with Casey's longer strides.

"Let's go guys" Leo gave more hand movements for a moment as they stopped at the turnstiles and Raph groaned.

"We get it, Lameardo…" Raph pushed pass his brother while hearing Mikey snicker behind him.

"Hey!" Leo rushed back to the front as they came to the lair exit. Raph could already feel like he was being watched as he glanced in the direction of one of the hidden scanners Don made. He looked back and could see Mikey looking in the same direction until they had to keep moving as the lair walls opened then closed behind them.

"That is sooo cool!" Mikey laughed.

"Yeah, cuz ya ain't seen and heard it a million times by now" Raph teased even though he was still a bit amazed by it himself but still he was worried. With all the upgrades Don had been giving not only the lair, but his lab along with weapons, vehicles, and who all knew what else he was getting worried his little brother still wasn't getting enough rest.

Raph did a quick look over, spying dark circles and bags under his brother's eyes. He narrowly caught his brother slip two tablets from a pouch to his hand. Raph stiffened as he before brought it to his mouth in one smooth move.

Damn it, Don…

"Okay, if we go to these locations…" a holographic image came up as Don held up his watch and moved his fingers over the projection as circles came up in each spot he pointed to. "We might run into Karai"

"Then we'll go here first." Leo pointed to a circle that was farthest from their home and he went back to moving. He could hear his brothers follow as he looked after his younger brother as they moved through the long tunnel.

The smell in the air got worse as they moved, grimy walls could be seen as they kept to the sides to avoid the murky water running down the middle. Raph ignored the few rats that scampered by as they turned more corners. The water dripped and echoed as they went.

Leo stopped first at the ladder leading to the manhole above their heads. With the artificial sunlight in their home Don had installed, they could almost pretend their lair was their world and topside was only some dream.

Their movements had been silent except for the sloshing footsteps Casey made. Raph kept from rolling his eyes at how the idiot didn't even seem to try and avoid sewer water littered with bits of debris.

The blue-masked turtle was first to climb up as Raph moved to the side to let his younger brothers go. He spotted Casey try to go past him and Raph gripped one of the cold iron rungs as he pulled himself up and kept moving. There was no way he was going to be forced to watch the dark-haired teen go up.

"Why can't we just take the subway tunnel," Casey grunted as he pulled himself up. "The route there only smells a little like something crawled up the red-masked Green Defender's ass and died. Though he is kinda good at savin' us little people from his girlfriend." Casey snorted.

"Real cute, Jones, comin' from someone who April's bitch" Raph glared as he turned to face him and Casey growled.

"Least I can kiss my girlfriend. Do ya even have a clue where yours is shellbrain?"

"Least mine ain't put her hands on me and I stood there like a bi-"

"Guys!"

Raph ignored Leo as he watched Casey's eyes narrow at him. The black and white skull face paint seemed more eerie with those squinting dark eyes.

"Nah, Leo, let him say it. I want him to." Casey slowly came forward. "Then he can tell us how a chick punches him and he turns into a damn Disney princess"

"This isn't the time…." Leo tried again to calm them both.

"Say what? The moment April tells ya to go to school. Ya do it!" Raph heard Leo sigh but his eyes stayed on the teen coming closer.

"You one to talk! I heard one of ya stupid phone calls with that newt girl!"

Raph's eyes widened as he saw Casey shaking his head with a sneer. "You don't even know when next you'll hear from her do ya? I bet ya still barely know shit about her do ya?" he yelled with his hands curled into fists.

"Casey…" Leo's tone was a warning, and Raph felt already at the edge. He swallowed harshly as he barely heard Leo in the background talking, his heart was pounding as Casey came closer.

"Do ya even know her name yet…" Casey's voice went low and Raph felt fury take over as he got right into Casey's face.

Raph's tone was quiet as he looked in those dark eyes, "At least I can go home knowin' my dad won't "accidentally" kill me…"

Raph could no longer hear Casey's breaths. Casey's eyes went wide, his body still as his arms went limp to his sides. He took a step back, stumbling as Raph realized what he just did. He opened his mouth, only to see Casey looking at the sky as a slow, hollow laugh escaped his lips.

"Nice to know how ya feel, Raphael..." a smirk was on Casey's face as he looked back at him. It was ugly and paired with dull brown eyes that no longer held a spark. Raph \ put a hand to his mouth as he replayed the words that just slipped from his mouth as he cursed into his palm.

"Raph, what did you say?" Leo's voice was a sharp and Raph glanced at his brother's narrowed blue eyes as Raph just shook his head slowly while backing away.

"I… I said." his voice started to crack. I'm so fuckin' stupid…Damn it…

"It's nothin'..." Casey said without sparing him a glance as he started moving up a fire escape, leaving Raph with his brothers looking at him.

"Is it just me or you and Casey not on good terms?" Mikey scratched his head.

"No Mikey, it's not just you" Don frowned as he looked at Raph.

"Do we need to settle whatever this is now? Because if it messes with the mission…"

Raph steadied himself best he could. He wanted them to stop asking and he looked at Leo. "Ain't shit messin' with da mission, Fearless, besides from that new outfit ya suddenly wearin'," he smirked as Leo's cheeks tinged red.

"Raph, that's not what we're talking about!" Leo fidgeted as Raph smirked more, he glanced to see Mikey and Don still looking worried at him.

Dat ain't work...

He held back a sigh and looked back at his older brother's new outfit of some dark pants taped to his legs at the bottom, along with a blue belt and a samurai piece to the side hanging off his hip. That along with a few more things, the chest piece and the bandages now wrapping the bottom of his brother's plastron.

"Bro, jus sayin. Ya look too bad ass for that to be somethin you picked out."

"Raph, my clothes are not important. What is important is th-"

"Is does seem rather odd that you receive a box the other day and then today you wear this."

"Don!"

Raph took a glance at Don and his brother gave a smile along with a nod as Raph felt relieved to not have to explain to Fearless what he said to Casey. He was doing a good enough job of beating himself up without Leo's help. He wasn't worried about Mikey; his baby brother's attention was short and would soon latch on.

"Wait!" Mikey gasped. "That's what was in the box!"

"No, it wasn't!" Leo groaned. "Nothing was in the box. It was just one stupid box!"

"That Karai probably sent. Did she feel bad for nearly killin' us?" his arms crossed as he watched Leo's head go down. Raph watched his older brother twirled his thumbs and Raph nearly laugh "So it is from Karai!"

"I didn't even say anything…" Leo looked up at him.

"You guys you comin' or what!" Casey peeked down from the roof.

Leo groaned at Casey's yell, mumbling about being quieter. He quickly gave Casey a thumbs up and turned back to Raph, Don, and Mikey. "Not another word…" Leo pointed to each of them and made a zipping motion over his lips. Leo moved after giving the three of them one more pointed look.

"That's fine Leo, but..." Don followed Mikey and Raph bought up the rear. "You have to admit with your usual actions when it comes to the Karai. It's hard to not see it as a gift of hers, especially if you add the timing of when you received the box, it places her as the best possi-"

"SHUT UP, DONNIE!" Leo snapped once they were on the roof, and Don started to snicker as Casey scratched his head.

I forgot to ask, but what's up with Leo's get up? I can barely tell he's a dork…"

"Can we stop talking about my clothes and get back to the mission? Or we're going to talk about the fact Don has a backpack now?"

"Don't care" Raph shrugged.

"Nah. Not interested." Casey added.

"Where else would D put all his doohickeys and thingamabobs, bro?" Mikey gave Leo a look and Raph fought back a laugh as Leo's eye started to twitch.

"Let's just go" Leo turned from them and started to move as his brothers, Casey and himself followed.

"So, if I get clothes I'll be even cooler than Leo?"

"SHUT UP MIKEY!"


	12. Oh, Karai! Where are you!

Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT

All warnings still apply.

* * *

Though the outfit conversation had deterred everyone, Raph still couldn't get over his own words to Casey. As they moved across the rooftops and from building to building, Raph's eyes kept glancing towards the dark-haired vigilante though he couldn't work out what to say. With every step forward, they seemed to be doing nothing but taking steps back lately. Just saying sorry didn't seem good enough and Casey hadn't spared him a glance.

The cold, crisp air whipped across his face as they moved. With each location Don's gadget sent them to, they came up empty handed with no Karai or her goons in sight. The only thing they were getting out of the whole mission was colder. With one look down, Raph knew he'd spy barren trees at a park nearby and people in their full coats.

Mutated turtle or not, the chill was biting his scaled skin, and he knew they were moving faster mainly to stay heated. Stopping too long would turn out badly.

He could still remember the first winter they had topside, it had been a rude awakening for them all fighting sleep that threatened to come over them. Leo had called an early quit to the stake out and some nights after were considered too dangerous by not only Leo but their dad as well. No one wanted to die just from getting a bit too cold because they fell into some reptile deep sleep thing. He forgot what Don had called it, but he could remember the warning.

He'd ignored that warning one night. Don had already warned them that the temperature would be too much for them, as they started turning on all the basking lights on as well as the heaters throughout the lair.

The warning left Raph's mind completely during his phone call with Casey. He heard the yells and some sickening sound that hand him grip the phone hard enough that it started to give under the pressure. He wasn't an idiot, he could hear the man, and with the click of the phone, Raph was livid. Without a word, he took off. He had every intention to take Casey's father apart.

He wasn't sure how far he made it as his steps had slowed down, once he got to the surface and started running. He knew it wasn't far enough, and things had gotten dark.

When his eyes opened, there were clothes on him and a near naked Casey with sunglasses on. He breathed out, not saying much as he reached to lift the glasses up though his arms felt like lead. Dark splotches stained the boy's face, and Casey only smirked as he helped Raph up.

Any other time he'd argue, but the time felt wrong, so he said nothing as they made their way back. White was falling from the sky, and they paused in the alley.

 _"Eva tasted snow?"_

At the time Raph thought nothing more of it as they went back to the lair. Though it hadn't been the last time it happened.

The sky was full of snow, and Raph just needed something to hit. Mona had during another classified mission, and the lack of knowing anything had annoyed him to a new level. Every part of him felt tense, and he was already gone by the time Don's mouth opened.

Casey had showed up, and they took out the dragons, but it was the cold that nearly took him out. He had become transfixed by the snow, watching it fall and land on rooftops and the ground. His mind went back to Casey's question, and he even dared to stick his tongue out to taste one as it fell.

Casey didn't even stop him, only removing one item at a time and putting it on Raph instead as the time went on. First the hoodie, then scarf, and then bandana. At the sound of Casey's chattering teeth, Raph came to his senses and realized it was time to go.

He had felt pretty sure he'd get chewed out the moment he stepped inside the lair with a shivering Casey. He felt guilty about not realizing, but Casey only snorted at him and laughed it all off. He even took off his pants for good measure and Raph was sure his best friend was a nut.

The lecture had never come though, with Leo being too busy gaping at the nearly naked teen to say a word. The memory almost made Raph chuckle, and he almost missed as a hand came up, and he stopped right as an arrow with a scroll attached to it narrowly missed his feet.

Leo bent down and pulled out the arrow, and Raph looked at the crack it made. He looked off in the direction in came from, his eyes squinting as he tried to figure out the exact location. Even with knowing where it didn't tell who and he looked at Leo for a clue as his brother's eyes stayed glued to the scroll.

They each huddled closer, and Raph's eyes caught the paper covered in kanji, hiragana, and katakana making him groan. He could read Japanese but preferred English. He used to not be able to read it at all until a certain orange masked turtle wrote Japanese on his shell and for the life of Raph he couldn't figure out what it said.

He hoped it was something cool until he remembered what kind of prankster Mikey was. The whole thing ended with Raph working harder to learn the language fluently though it had been difficult. He still had as much trouble with it as he did with reading English. It was as though the words looked backward or letters in different spots.

His head was starting to hurt from scanning over it until he heard Mikey sigh and he tore his eyes from the paper.

"Why can't they ever attach a pizza to these things?" Mikey sighed louder, and Raph found himself hoping Leo would just read the thing out loud. He cringed at the thought of asking and then having to explain why. It was bad enough when Don noticed his reading problems and explained why words looked jumbled up to him.

"What does it say?" Don spoke up, and Raph looked at his little brother. It was already the second time Brainiac did something for him in less than a few hours. He nudged against Don affectionately the taller turtle nudged back.

He waited for Leo to speak while taking another look around. The lack of action made him antsy, and the cold was getting to him as he started to shuffle his feet. Raph could see Mikey starting to fidget, and he blew out air, seeing frost in front of him. _Still no Karai…_

"It's from Karai…You have something that belongs to me. Meet me at Bloomberg Tower." Leo frowned and Raph didn't feel surprised.

"It's obviously a trap" Don pointed out.

"So, she wants Irma back, figures." Casey snorted.

"Or maybe she's…I don't know." Leo sighed. "She could have caught us at those other places, so why there? She could really just want to meet…"

"Yeah, cuz Karai has been such a good girl," Raph said with the fakest smile he could muster.

"And at 55 stories...reaching about 806 feet...add in the weather. We're at a disadvantage" Don sighed. "Going up there is just...well try not to take offense when I say this, Leo. Because I honestly do respect your leadership, and I think as our oldest brother you've always done your best but this is just how do I say it… dumb."

"Yeah Leo, that's like um…" Mikey's tongue came out a moment as he moved one of his fingers across the others as though counting until just widening his arms. "SUPER TALL!"

"Yea, hate to say it but…" Casey glanced over. Raph was sure he saw concern in his eyes, but he quickly looked away. "That just seems dangerous for you guys."

"I get the dangers, but our options are limited. We need answers guys, and she's telling us exactly where to go to get them." Leo looked at each of them. "So, what choice do we have?"

"Bro!" Mikey exclaimed. "There's always a choice. There's pepperoni, mushrooms, anchovies...see plenty of choices!"

Raph hit Mikey on the head, "Not those choices "he snorted. A feeling came over him as he felt eyes. Raph looked over, feeling sure he saw movement and his hands went to his sais. "Guys…"

"I saw it too…" Leo had moved, pulling out his katanas in one fluid move.

"What was that…" Raph kept looking, staying aware of his surroundings.

Mikey moved in close, taking his position as Raph heard the whir off nunchucks. "Dunno dudes, but they around somewhere."

"I gotta bad feelin..." Casey said slowly as he looked around.

"There's more than one…" Raph saw more movement and focused as his transparent third lid covered his green irises turning them white. He could feel eyes from different spots.

"We're surrounded..." Leo's katanas were steady, and Raph nodded in agreement as he twirled his sais once they were out

.

"It's always freaky and kinda cool when you guys do that white eye thingy." Casey glanced their way. "Why ya even do that? Is it just to be creepy?"

"It's to protect our eyes…" Don deadpanned and had his bo staff ready.

"The moment we move, so will they." Leo took a defensive stance as Raph gripped his weapons tighter.

"How ya know?" Casey whispered as he slid a hockey stick from behind him and held it in his hands.

"I think it's in the fight handbook, dude," Mikey whispered.

"Least they ain't the dummies that surrounded," Raph mumbled as his eyes quickly darted at the sudden movement and he looked up.

"Guys scatter!" Leo yelled as they broke apart into different directions.

Raph quickly turned around as the clanking sound resounded in the night and he saw a hooded figure where they once were standing. The figure held a bo staff that gleamed in the moonlight and Raph skidded to a stop keeping an eye on them.

 _Why ain't the others appearin'…_

Suddenly, others appeared, and he wanted to hit himself for asking the question. They stood behind the figure in black, traditional ninja garb so he couldn't tell one from the other though it was only four. _Pretty cool hats though…but why they ain't comin' closer._

Raph looked over at Leo, seeing his brother gestured for them to be on their guard.

"Cuz we wasn't before?" Raph muttered to himself, the air was biting, and he narrowed his eyes at the guys in front of them. He felt on edge, needing to move as he gritted his teeth.

"So, uh…nice hat?" Mikey said aloud, and Raph would have laughed, if not for suddenly a bo staff coming down over him. He quickly dodged, hearing the cold metal and growled.

"Guess they don't like compliments!"

"Guess not," Raph replied, grabbing hold as cold metal stung his palms from the staff and a strong jolt forced him to let go, and he fell to the ground.

"Raph!" Leo yelled, and he quickly rolled as it swung down at his head and heard the clang as it hit the roof. He glanced to Leo, seeing the others had finally moved as his brothers fought the ninjas in straw hats.

He glanced, seeing the ones in hats hadn't moved yet. His brothers were all fighting back against the hooded figure with the metal bo staff. Their main concentration seemed to be Don as Raph went to help.

He saw something shiny and caught a glimpse of a trident. It swiped at his feet, and he jumped up, staying clear of it. Mikey and Leo were close by along with Casey.

"They won't let us get to Don."

"Not if I can help it!" Raph's eyes narrowed, and he lunged, fighting the nearest one as he ignored Leo's yells. He dodged one punch and another, then a kick had him flying, and he grunted as he landed. A spear went flying at him, he had no time to move.

He saw a flash of nunchucks, the spear was grabbed within the chain of nunchucks and thrown back by his little brother as Raph stood. Mikey tried to go through their legs only to be thrown back by another.

"Okay, that way didn't work..." Mikey groaned, slowly standing.

"What are these dudes? Some elite ninjas?" Casey grunted, barely pushing back the swing of an ax and Raph went to help.

"You gotta plan, Leo? Anytime now would be nice, Fearless!" Raph yelled, helping to fight back. They still hadn't found an opening and Raph could only hear Don's movements.

"I'm thinking," Leo huffed, and the four of them were back to back with the ninja elite surrounding them. Raph saw his brother's head move from one spot to another. "Down isn't an option, so…how about up?"

"So, buck buck?" Mikey laughed, breathing heavy as Raph looked over. Leo went down, and one after other they climbed leaving Raph for last as he gave one a face full of foot. He didn't stop moving, going straight over to Don, his little brother was dodging attacks.

Raph looked for an opening, watching the hooded figure twirl their staff as he took a defensive stance near Don. He could see electricity crackle from the end of it and narrowed his eyes at who was in front of him.

"Raph be careful. Her staff is able to produce a current tha-"

"Ya kinda late, Donnie…" Raph said to him, still remembering that jolt from before. She moved the staff at him as he kept jumping from it and the sparks, getting annoyed at the dance. She kept a distance as she attacked and Raph tried not to raise a brow ridge of the familiarity of the moves.

He breathed, adrenaline rushed through him making him forget the cold air. He and Don dodged each attack, and he thought back to some of his and Don's sparring sessions as a smirk crossed his face.

"Raph?"

He only smirked in response, as his brother breathed heavily.

"Focus my anger…" Raph took a deep breath and charged forward, narrowly avoiding as the staff whizzed past his head. He gripped his sai, kicking them right in the gut and trying to break the staff in half as he lifted his knee.

He hissed as his knee hit metal and remembered the thing wasn't wood.

He moved as they regained themselves, grabbing back their staff and swinging at Raph. He lowered his head into his shell as he rolled back, wincing as his knee started acting up again and Raph gritted his teeth as he tried ignoring the throbbing pain. _This shit is annoyin'…_

He readied his sais again, anger taking hold as one hit connected with Don and Raph was seeing red.

He narrowed his eyes, growling as rage took over and he charged forward. His attacks were faster, wanting nothing less than to bash this guy's head in. Every hit with that stick only made his blood boil, and he reached forward with his sai only for it to get trapped. The move had him in shock, and he blinked as the trapped sai was thrown from him. Soon he was knocked off his feet, his shell hitting the ground with a crack.

He kept blinking in disbelief, seeing the staff come down on him.

 _No way…Only one person done that. Just one…Only Don…_

"RAPH!" Leo yelled, snapping him out of it but there was no time to move or block it.

"EAT THIS!" Casey yelled, catching his and the guy's attention as a puck flew straight at him and down the hooded figure went. Raph looked at Casey, their eyes catching each other. It was hard to look away as he stood up.

He tried to keep his mind off that hooded gaze, he wasn't sure where he and Casey stood. And he was no closer to figuring out what to say to him. _After this…_ He could see the guys in hats had backed away and it confused him. It looked that Leo was just as confused, but his brother was keeping a trained eye on them. _Doubt they givin up…_

Raph turned his attention back to the guy and looked over, seeing him getting up. He ran forward only to skid to a stop as the guy's head came up and the hood was off.

"Wat…the… shell!?" Raph stared. _I'm seein' shit…_

"It's a girl…?" Don sounded as confused as he felt.

Leo was now beside them, along with Casey. The elite ninja hadn't moved from the spots they had gotten to.

She's a turtle!" Mike yelled coming to their side.

"Noticed…" Raph looked at the purple-masked turtle in front of him, still wondering if they all took way too many hits to the head.

The tails of the mask reminded him some weird ponytail hairstyle that a human girl would have. He watched her ready her bo staff and shook his head, getting back into position himself.

"Who the hell is she?" He growled out, only for her to stare at him then look over Don. The goggles at the top of her head reminded him of Donnie's own pair. The whole thing was eerie to him. _Is she Donnie's copy or somethin?_

"Your guess is as mine," Leo said from behind. "Though, I think they only did this so she could fight Don…but why?"

Raph shrugged, not understanding the turn of events himself. _Instead of Karai, we find Donnie's girl clone…_

"What's your name?" Leo asked her and Raph watched her look at each of them until her eyes stayed on Leo.

"I am called Talena." She spoke calmly. "Know this, turtles, this will not be our last encounter." Her hand moved, and then there was a flash so bright forcing him to shut his eyes. Once they were open, Talena was gone and so were the four elite ninjas.

"What the hell…" Raph kept looking around, trying to find a trace of them. The weather was starting to get to him again now that the fight had died down.

"Woah that was so cool." Mikey laughed. "D! Why don't we have that?"

"The better question is where did they go…" Leo spoke up, and Don lifted his watch, his fingers tapping over the face of it as a projection showed in the darkness.

"If my calculations are right, with the number of people and based on the speed of her movements. They still couldn't have gotten that far…so do we go after them?"

Leo went to the ledge, staying silent until looking back at all of them. "No." shook his head at Don. "We still need to meet up with Kirai, and we have no clue what we're dealing with when it comes to those four ninjas or that girl."

"But where did a turtle chick come from?" Mikey scratched his head.

"I'm going to say mutagen like us, most likely turtles that were mutated," Don answered. "But I'd need more to go on to make a confirmation."

Raph kept looking in the direction they went, he couldn't help feeling a bit impressed though he tried to not show it. "Anyone else noticed da way she moves?"

He looked at his brothers, trying to keep his own excitement at the thought of fighting her again down. He had every plan on beating her next time, the challenge seemed interesting.

Casey's eyes narrowed and shook his head, "Ya wanna date a turtle now too?"

Raph scowled, "I ain't say that!"

"He's gotta point bruh." Mikey snickered, and Raph growled at his baby brother. "You know you got a thing for ladies who can knock you out. And the best part, this one's on Earth!" Mikey laughed harder, and Raph rose his hand, hitting his brother upside the head. It did nothing to stop Mikey, who laughed harder, holding his sides as he fell to the floor.

"Mikey, stop." Leo gave a look. "You know how serious he is about Mona Lisa."

It only made Raph groan, wishing this conversation would just stop. He didn't want to talk about his relationship and looked over at Casey. He remembered when he first asked if he should date her and Casey had laughed.

Raph now wondered if it was because Casey found the whole thing stupid. Later, Don had told him how the whole kissing business had put a look of disgust on his best friend's face.

 _But why?_

Was the thought of someone loving him that damn bad? He felt angry all over again, and soon just empty. His heart ached, and the feeling was too much. _Just don't think bout it…_

"Let's just go…" he grunted, taking off as he tried to put as much space as he could between him and the bone head in the hockey mask known as Casey Jones. The thoughts had bought along feelings and memories, now he didn't want to apologize at all. He ignored Leo's yell to wait up and only kept going. Soon they were behind him, yet he was still in his own world.

Raph started did more bold leaps and flips, not stopping, even as a few had him barreling into objects and gaining some scrapes. He tried to push down thoughts of Casey, the cold air was getting worse, and soon they'd have to call this mission quits. As they got closer to the tower, part of him hoped he was right and it was a trap just so he could knock out some of Kirai's goons.

Getting to the roof of Bloomberg Tower wasn't an easy feat as they started scaling the tower. It only got colder.

Halfway there, Casey let out a gasp, and he looked to see Casey lost his footing. Raph swore his heart stopped, his only thought was to get to Casey as he scrambled and grabbed hold of the teen's hand. The idea of Casey falling had him swallow harshly, and his grip tightened as he helped Casey regain his footing

He wasn't even sure how he got there so fast, but he didn't question it. His heart was still racing, and he hadn't yet let go of Casey's hand.

"Raph…" Casey said his name soft, and he felt something spread all over him. He had no way to place it, and he only wanted to get closer. _I need you…_ His mind screamed and whispered, Casey squeezed his hand back.

"Casey, I think I…"

"Uh, you guys cool?"

Raph snatched his hand back and scrambled away at the sound of Mikey's voice. "Just keepin' his ass from fallin." He kept ignoring how fast his heart was beating. _What the hell was I bout to say…_

"So, we goin or what?" he yelled at them and kept moving upward.

"Sheesh, what a hard case" Mikey mumbled where Raph barely heard it. He gave his little brother a look and kept going.

Once they reached the top, he had mixed feelings about it, as the cold was becoming unbearable. Leo looked around, and nothing had happened yet.

"A few more minutes, and we leave. It's getting too cold out here." Leo began then stopped as the sound of footsteps became apparent. "Karai?"

She smiled as she walked up, as though she came from the darkness. "I see you got my message." She put a hand on her hip and that smile only widened.

Raph felt the urge to wipe it off as he thought back to their last run-in. _Pretty sure, Leo won't like it._

"What's going on, Kirai?" Leo asked. His eyes were on her, but Raph's attention was now on the cat in her arms.

"And why are you trying to hurt Irma?"

Mikey's sudden yell had Raph doing a double -take. One look at Karai and she was just as surprised as him at the orange masked turtle. That look didn't last as that smile came back full force on her face.

"Awww, does someone have a little crush?" She cooed, and the freckles on Mikey's cheeks stood out further.

"I…uh…" Mikey stuttered.

"That's a shame," Karai smirked. "My friend thought you were kinda cute for a turtle."

"Your friend?" Mikey repeated.

"Kirai, no games." Leo interrupted, taking Karai's attention off Mikey. "Why are you after Irma? And those guys from before, they looked like the foot."

"Well, that's simple, Leo. "She came closer, and Raph watched her as that cat seemed to stay at her side. "It's because they are the foot."

"Are...are ya serious?" Casey yelled.

"Lemme get this straight, Shredder's gone, so you decide to bring the foot back?" Raph roared, lunging forward until he felt his brothers holding him back. "Why we still talkin' to her? She clearly the problem!"

His temper had taken control, and Leo gave him a long look to halt. He clenched his teeth, snatching away from Don and Mikey. He kept taking deep breaths while wondering why they were still bothering with this.

"That's not explaining anything." Leo came closer to her while putting himself between him and Karai. Raph snorted at the move, though he understood why his brother did it. It was hard to remember sometimes that this was Master Splinter's real daughter.

"I know you. It's never that simple…" Leo's voice seemed to trail off.

"I'm trying to restore the foot. I'm not the Shredder" She narrowed her eyes at Raph and looked back at Leo. "My reasons are my own, and I have nothing against any of you, but Irma belongs to me."

"You're not getting her!" Mikey screamed, and Leo looked back at their youngest brother next with a look.

"Mikey, calm down." Leo breathed out and turned his attention back to Karai. "No one is getting anyone." His voice was steel that surprised Raph. "We can't just let you have her, Kirai. Why do you need her so badly anyway?"

Kirai's eyes narrowed "It's not any of your business."

"Then we have no business with you. And…whatever your business with the foot is. Stop." Leo stood staring at her, but Karai's resolve seemed unchanged. Raph could tell even from his angle, that whatever plans she had, his brother wasn't changing her mind.

"You don't understand…figures…" She looked away, a coldness in her eyes.

"Then help me!" Leo yelled. "Because the only thing I've seen, is a girl who's barely able to function. Or do anything…"

Karai looked back at him slowly, "That girl has been with the Krang a long time. We knew that they brought some of their prisoners here, along with files and other things. But every prisoner we came to was dead or the data destroyed. That girl knows something I need."

"But you can't be sure of that." Don shook his head. "What could be that important…?"

"Yeah, Karai. What's so important that ya had ya goons try to beat information outta her." Raph sneered, and Leo gave him another look.

"By any means necessary…" Karai's voice was quiet, and Leo looked back at her.

"Karai?" Leo frowned.

"I need to know if mutagen has any weaknesses…especially with creatures that encounter it."

"Lemme guess, you ain't friends…" Raph snorted.

"But the Krang isn't here anymore." Don sighed. "If creatures have come into contact, her knowledge would be small as to what can be done about it. And that's a big if."

A sound came from behind them, having them all turn around.

"Anotha one?" Raph growled as the figure came into view and her whole appearance did nothing get on his bad side.


	13. Things You Shouldn't Say

**Disclaimer: I don't own tmnt**

 **Warning: All previous warnings apply.**

* * *

Raph was starting to wonder just how many turtles fell into some mutagen as he looked at the female turtle along with the others. Unlike the one called Talena, this one hadn't bothered with secrecy. He couldn't help but notice the two sai in her hands that stood out among the kusarigama on her side.

 _What the hell…_ He thought back to Talena's purple mask, and now he was seeing this girl with a red one.

The idea of someone copying him was infuriating as he charged towards her, though he couldn't help but grin as she lunged at him. The wrapping around her chest caught his eye, and he aimed there hoping it was a soft spot, only to be blocked as she sent a kick to his midsection.

He dodged the next attack quickly, delivering an uppercut as she tried to avoid his attack only to hit back. It was nothing but back and forth as they fought each other until their hands clasped together on opposite sides trying to shove the other over with a show of strength.

Raph smirked as she started to lose her footing, only to suddenly end on the floor as his eyes narrowed and he let out a roar as he charged forward towards her. He barely paid attention to the other one sending hits towards him, as he only had eyes for the other red masked turtle in front of him.

"What the hell?" He quickly got up and started to charge at her until he felt a familiar hand on him and he growled at his brother Leo. "I had it!"

"The only thing you're doing is giving them the advantage out there."

"Them?" He breathed, looking back towards his goal as he finally noticed the another fighting alongside the female red masked turtle with a purple mask. "Talena…" His eyes narrowed as he watched the two girls stare down him and Leo. He looked to see that this time they even brought more friends as he saw Don, and Mikey not too far off trying to handle. He searched more, spotting dark hair and a hockey stick as he slowly let out a breath of relief.

"Well, if you weren't so busy trying to one her up, you would have noticed…" Leo gave a quick look and Raph bit his tongue, though he could feel his temper trying to start up again. _Getting into it with Leo right now, won't help…_

"Aight then, Fearless. What's the plan?" He breathed out, getting in his stance as he tried to ignore the red masked girl smirking in his direction. He had to admit she hit harder than he thought she could. _Why ain't she came at us yet?_

"We keep them off Don, Mikey, Casey, and Karai. I'm pretty sure all they want is to make sure we can't help them anyway, so it works out."

Raph's eyes widened as he started to yell, "Wait? We still helpin' Ka-"

"She still has info we might need." Leo interrupted him, and Raph went quiet, taking deep breaths. "She knows these girls, Raph…"

"Yeah, yeah." He gave a swift nod, only moving once Leo moved and quickly sending a kick towards the smirking turtle girl. He was glad to see her go down and could hear Leo's katana as his brother fought off Talena.

He tried to not lose it, focusing his temper as he blocked her until he was caught off guard and sent to the floor after a hit to the head. Damn it… He blinked, getting up as he dodged one of her attacks, only to see Casey running forward with fire in his eyes. He quickly joined in, as the both of them took her on. _He beside me but it don't feel the same…_

"Larota, come on! We did as needed!" Talena yelled out. "Venus has called for us!"

"I'm not leaving until I beat the shit out these two!" The red masked turtle yelled back, making Raph snort as he glanced towards Casey readying his hockey stick.

"Larota, Venus said not to engage any further." Talena dodged one of Leo's attacks and grabbed Larota's arm bringing her to a stop. It didn't make Raph any less on edge, he knew that look in Larota's eyes. _She ain't nowhere near done..._ He could feel others at his side, glancing to see his baby brother and Don, as he narrowed his eyes seeing the girl take a step further.

"Remember Venus' orders" Talena spoke out again, but Larota shrugged off her hand.

"Screw Venus…"

Raph clenched his teeth together feeling ready for a battle, as he felt a hand on his own shoulder. He glanced back, opening his mouth to yell at Casey, only to see Leo and Casey still at a distance. He quickly turned back, mouth shutting as he shrugged off Leo's hand.

 _How the hell we in the same place, and it still feels like we apart…What the hell going on with us, Case…_

Raph looked over at Casey and raised a brow ridge at the look on the human's face while his hockey mask was up. _Why the hell he staring at her…He_ wasn't noticing the conversation between the girls anymore, as rage started to take over with a feeling in his gut he couldn't place. He hated the way Casey looked at her.

"Who are you guys?" Leo's voice, took him out his thoughts enough to try and think about something else as Talena pulled her hood over her head.

"We will be taking our leave now." Talena started walking. "Larota we need to go."

"Wait!" Leo moved forward, on?

"Like staring at that turtle bitch" Raph growled, the words came out before he could stop him as Casey looked back at him.

"Why da hell do ya care?" Casey yelled.

"Maybe, cuz it's bad enuff ya hurt my brother! But ya can't even stay loyal to the chick you screwed over my brother for!"

"Maybe I like the way she punches me" Casey hissed, and Raph saw nothing but red.

"Guess so since ya used to bein' a punchin' bag!"

A look passed over Casey's face Raph never seen before, and suddenly he was on him swinging, and Raph moved to fight back.

He could hear shouting, hands clenching at him as he tried lunging at Casey just as the dark-haired teen tried tearing away from the ones holding him back.

"Get off me! I'm done!" Casey yelled, roaring as Raph felt the fight leave him as that one word struck a harder blow and knocked the wind out of him.

"Wha…"

"I'm done with you" Casey's eyes narrowed, shooting him a cold glare as he picked up his gear and went in the other direction.

Raph finally noticed his brothers, hearing them trying to ask him questions but his eyes stayed on that spot where Casey had left. His body shook, trembled as he started to sink to his knees, barely hearing anything else around him as the words stayed on repeat.


	14. Everywhere is Red

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT**

 **Note: All previous warnings apply, and this chapter includes self-harm.**

* * *

"Guys, it's been a week, and he's still in there. I'm really worried…"

"Oh, Leo! I gotta idea! Irma was saying how once her bubbe."

"Wait…Her what?"

"Jeez, Don. Her grams duh! But she got her a bunch of stuff because Irma was a woman now and she had to this ummm ceremony thing. Maybe Raph's becoming a man, and his room is like the cocoon... "

"Mikey, I don't think you understand what you're talking about…" Don sighed.

Raph closed his eyes tighter, pressing his face into the mattress with a pillow over his head to block out the sounds outside his locked door. He didn't want to hear it anymore and wished they'd just leave him alone.

The sounds were no longer there, and he pulled the pillow off his head. At a few small sounds to his side, Raph looked over to see Chompy as the little alien turtle nudged his arm. Raph let out a barely a sigh, turning to his side as Chompy tried to nuzzle him, then let out a soft whine. Usually, he'd care but all Raph felt was numb.

He bit his lip, trying to feel anything but that emptiness stayed there, and Raph was left staring at the wall as he moved to sit up. His eyes went to his wrist, catching the sight of dried blood and fresh cuts. He hadn't bothered wrapping them, his finger pressed over one of the larger ones as the rush came from the sharp jolt of pain.

Casey's words started to repeat again, so he only found another to press, a deeper one as he let out a sharp sound and he laughed at it all. _So back to this…whatever…_ The pain was leaving again, leaving him with only the images of that night that threatened to bring a different kind of pain.

Raph could still remember that night, the way his brothers led him home and Don's worries fell on deaf ears as he hurried to his room. He had locked the door, falling apart at every seam until he gave into his vice, grabbing hold of one of his hidden knives. He wasn't even sure how many nights ago that been until he heard his brothers earlier.

 _A week…_ Casey's face came to mind and as his hand went to his face, tears staining his cheeks as he gritted his teeth and glared at his own skin. _Casey…_

He pulled off his wrappings in such a rush that night that they laid all over the place. His eyes fell on that first gash, long and deep across his leathery skin as he remembered how he had to brace himself against his wall just so he wouldn't fall.

His floor was stained from the night he tried to keep it away, that empty feeling that threatened to tear him apart. And now the empty feeling was here again like so many times since then, and the last cuts he did just wasn't enough.

Part of him wanting to claw at his face, just to force it away but he knew he couldn't hide that. Shame and guilt hit him hard, the images of his brothers came forth, and Raph knew what they'd think of him. _Damn it…_ But slowly it shifted, to nameless faces as he thought on those of the city.

 ** _"Freak…"_**

His eyes went to the razor at his bed side as he grabbed it, halting it over his own skin as he swallowed.

 ** _"Monster…"_**

 ** _"Disgusting!_**

The razor moved across his thigh, and f the words grow quiet as he tried to breathe. Swallowing breaths of air quickly.

 ** _"I'm done with you."_**

It got hard to breathe again, and he gripped the razor in his palm. Welcoming the pain that distracted him from that pain until his head was quiet again. He looked down, seeing the blood and cursed himself for going too deep again as he swallowed to get up.

 _I need to clean this shit up…_

Raph winced at the burn in his thigh while also welcoming the pain and the distraction it brought with it. Grabbing a new roll of bandages along with some alcohol, Raph got to work cleaning the areas more than he needed to. Just wanting the burn as he started to dress the wounds.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he plopped down on the bed again, glancing over at Chompy and grabbing the alien turtle before he got too close to the fallen razor. _That ain't for you…_ Reaching over he put Chompy inside his tank and took a deep breath as a sound inside his room startled him.

 _What the…_ His eyes went to a glowing communication orb, and he facepalmed for forgetting the sound as he pulled it to him.

 _It's Monday? Leo said it's been a week…_ He barely had the energy to think more on it as he turned it on and a female humanoid lizard's face filled the screen.

"Hello. It's been a long time" Mona smiled at him, and Raph tried returning it.

"Yeah, has…" He gave her a wave, and Mona's eyes grew larger than usual.

"Your hand! What happened? Were you attacked?"

"My…" Raph looked confused then too his newly bandaged hand, seeing the blood seeping through. "I uh…" He tried to think of an excuse as his heart raced, Mona was never one of the ones he pictured catching him. "I-it's nothing." He quickly moved, trying to find more bandages but his mind was a blank suddenly.

"You call that nothing? There's blood all over your bed and ther-" Mona had stopped talking, Raph stiffened as a bad feeling came all over him. His eyes went to the orb to see her staring, and then he looked in the direction she was looking to the bloody razor on his bed. Quickly he made a dash for it, but he could already see the damage was done as he saw the look on her face.

"Raphael…"

"It's not...I ain't" he said quickly, feeling vulnerable as she looked at him.

"I'm really disappointed in you…to think you'd…do something like this." She shook her head, and Raph glared at her.

"You don't get it! So, don't act like ya betta!"

"I am not but..." She frowned. "I just feel there must be some other way. Some other path than this."

"Some other way?" He snapped, feeling judged by her as he saw the pity in her eyes. "Like the path ya took when I trusted ya, but you were willing to give my brothers and me up."

"I thought you had forgiven me for that," she said softly, and he could hear the hurt in her tone as he slowly deflated. "But I guess not."

"I…" He could feel guilt crawling over him as he sat on the bed, and her commander's voice carried over.

"I have to go."

"Wait, Mo-" The orb went dark, and Raph let his head rest in his hands thinking over his last actions. _Damn it.._.

"You haven't even known him long."

He lifted his head at the sound of April's voice coming through the door and took a quick glance at the door to make sure it was still locked. The last person he wanted to see was April right now.

"What's your point?"

 _And course Mad Hatter is with her…_

He could smell food and guessed that April had bought him something to eat. _Still not comin' out…_

"Don't you think you need to know him a bit longer Irma?" April sounded worried, and Raph didn't have a clue to why.

"And that's why you date. Besides Mikey is super cute, and he really makes me feel better…"

At Mikey's name, Raph was worried as he thought back to what Don said. As much as Mikey loved being a "hero", he still remembered how hurt Mikey was after Bradford faked a friendship with him. With the way Don said the dependency thing worked, would she stop liking his brother the moment she felt better.

"But have you forgot he's a giant turtle? You guys won't be able to do anything or go anywhere. How about that cashier yesterday at the store? I saw the way he was looking at you."

"I don't like the cash register guy, I like Mikey."

"But Irma he's not an option." April sighed, and he could hear dishes clang together. "You're human. He's not. Aren't you scared about what happens if things go wrong? Then who else will he have after that?"

"April…I'm sorry. I got lost somewhere between the road of 'Are we still Talking about me' or "Are we talking about you and Donnie" "

 _April and Donnie?_

"Irma!"

"Look, I'm not like you. I already had enough of my life taken, and right now Mikey makes me happy, so I want to take that chance. I don't have time to be scared like you…"

Raph blinked in surprise. _This the dependency shit? Or what?_ The more Raph thought about it, he wasn't sure what it was, but it sparked a bit of hope in him.

"I just can't help but wonder about if things go bad…"

"I think you should talk to Don."

 _I don't get girls…Mikey? Don? One minute they talkin about one thing then the next…_

"He still hasn't come out yet, huh?" April said, and he heard a knock on his door, feeling sure it was her.

"No... and Mikey's worried. All of them are. Master Splinter has tried speaking to him through the door, but it's just quiet. It went the same for Leo and the rest of them"

"And I tried too but...nothing"

 _Cuz like hell I'm talking to you, O' Neil…_ Every time she tried talking to him an image of Casey would pop in his head along with that sick feeling in his stomach.

"How about Casey?" Irma spoke up. "They're best friends, right?"

"I haven't seen him since the guys left that night. I keep calling and nothing… It's like he disappeared off the face of the earth. I'm really worried, it's not like Casey goes to class anyway. But the guys said that night him, and Raph got into it. So, I'm just hoping he didn't pick a fight with someone and…" April trailed off, and Raph felt like ice was poured on him.

 _No one's heard from him?_ Images popped in his head, ones of a broken boy and a man standing over him as Raph shook his head. _No, no. Case ya better not let him…_ Raph swallowed, moving faster than he ever thought he could as he grabbed both his sai.

With a growl he took off, opening the door and running past the two bewildered girls as he ignored the pain throbbing from each cut on his body. He quickly ran out the lair, and towards the exit with only Casey in mind as he ran.

 _Don't ya dare be dead or somethin, Case. Cuz I don't care what I gotta do, I'll bring ya back and kick ya ass for leavin' me…_


	15. I Messed Up

**Disclaimer: I don't own tmnt**

 **All warnings still apply.**

 **To Xahraxs: This chapter and The next one should make that clear. :)**

 **Note: This story is halfway over.**

* * *

Raph pushed himself faster, his lungs were burning, but he kept going from roof to roof as he took the route he took many times. As he made it to Casey's window, he was already pounding on it and as he looked inside.

 _Come on Casey, open up!_ He growled, breathing heavy as reached into his belt, fumbling with tools until he reached the one he needed and started to pick the lock. Part of him damned himself for not being quieter with the threat of Casey's father being around. _And what if he is hurt and Izzy see him on the ground or something._ Taking a deep breath, he tried to steady his hand, but for the life of him, he couldn't get the thing to unlock like usual.

 _Come on! Damn it_! The window slowly started to open, and Raph steadied himself, ready to fight until he saw Casey's face staring back at him.

"What the hell, Raph?" Casey yelled, but Raph's words died in his throat as he looked at his friend littered with bruises.

His eye was puffy, swollen and black to match the splotches of damaged skin on his face along with a cut on his lip. He let his eyes roam more as he eyed the long sleeve shirt and long pants, and gave Casey a look because of the heat outside.

"Did he do this?" Raph growled as his rage took over everything else, and he reached to grab Casey's arm. Sliding up a sleeve, only more bruises were there, and he could feel his control slipping. "Casey, did h-"

Casey snatched back his arm as he answered, "Yes, and no…"

"What ya mean?" He was confused by the answer as Casey limped back to his bed and Raph started to follow, watching the dark-haired teen carefully.

"You started it…" Casey's one good eye narrowed at him as Raph's anger deflated, and he could see Casey let out a deep sigh. "But he finished it…"

 _I messed up…_

"Case...I…" Raph was at a lost, with no clue what to even say. He kept glancing over at him, seeing the bruises on his best friend made him sick to his stomach. "About what I said, I ain't mean it…"

"Ya look like shit…"

Raph's brow ridge rose and rolled his eyes at Casey, "You one to talk…"

"Whatever, tortoise."

"Bonehead," Raph retorted as Casey grabbed his hand surprising him until he thought back to what he was just doing. He had broken the promise they made, and he steeled himself, trying to ready himself for the worse.

"Ya did it again."

Raph averted his eyes, snatching his hand back. "If ya got somethin' to say, just go ahead an-"

He felt the bed shift and looked to see Casey getting up. _What the hell is he doing?_ He watched Casey rummage through a drawer and Raph noticed the familiar box in his best friend's hands as Casey made his way back to the bed.

"Idiot…" He muttered, and Raph opened his mouth to speak, but the glare Casey sent had him shut it quickly. Casey took Raph's hand back, looking at the deep gash then up at Raph once more before opening their first aid kit he set to the side.

"Never thought I'd use it for this…" Casey said as he got to work, Raph knew what he meant.

They had at first started the box because they didn't want to run to Donnie every time they needed to be patched up. Then it became more useful after Raph found out about Casey's dad after finding his best friend with a busted lip, more bruises and an arm twisted at the wrong angle.

Raph had been livid but Casey told him not to do anything, the human teen felt so sure that his dad would change. The only thing Raph was sure about was that Casey's missing teeth was not from an accident at a hockey game.

Casey said nothing else as he undid the bloody bandage and cleaned the wound. It reminded Raph of times Casey did this on April's farm while Leo was in the coma and even after when Raph still hadn't stopped. He watched Casey pull out a bottle and thread with a needle, but Raph shook his head to the bottle that he knew would numb the area first. _Who knows when we'll find more of that stuff…_

Casey looked at him, giving a brief nod as he looked back to Raph's hand and began stitching it back together. Raph gritted his teeth together as he felt each stitch slide through his skin, and letting out a deep breath once he felt the last one, and Casey wrapped it in bandages.

"Thought ya said you was done…" Raph mumbled, glancing at his best friend as Casey started putting everything away.

"That's why you an idiot," Casey looked back with a smirk and Raph snorted in his direction, looking away as he flexed his hand with a thank you. He heard Casey let out a deep sigh as he let his hand rest on the bed.

"We talking or we doin' another week of bullshit?" Casey asked, and Raph couldn't help but look in his direction as he gave a shrug.

"Dunno what ya want me to say, Case."

"More than what you been sayin'."

Raph could hear the frustration in Casey's tone, knowing that the other teen was right but as Raph tried to find the words he had no clue where to start.

 _You want a speech, I'll get you Leo. You want an explanation for some crazy shit you just saw, I'll get you Donnie. Want some straight up nonsense, I'll get ya Mikey but me…_ He looked at his hand, flexing it into a fist.

Raph preferred to just fight and take charge. He let his gut and instinct do the talking, and though there were times that wasn't the best idea, it was just how he was. He was working on controlling it, but certain things just got under his skin the most.

 _What the hell ya want me to say, Casey? To say I need ya? Ya already know that…_

"All this been stupid…" Raph thought of everything that happened to him and Casey for a while now. "Aight…let's talk." _Maybe the words will come to me…_

"Not here." Casey moved to get up, and Raph wondered what his best friend was up to. "We can go to our spot.".

"You can hardly make it to the damn bed," Raph eyed him, watching Casey limp to the door as he got up himself.

"Your point?" Casey smirked as he opened the door. "I'll meet you up there, just gotta get some stuff."

"Case…"

"Ya not stoppin' me." He gave Raph a look that had him shaking his head.

"Stubborn ass..." Raph chuckled, trying not to worry. He reminded himself how tough Casey was as he made his way out the window.

His stomach growled as he made his way to their spot on Casey's roof and he tried to remember the last time he ate _. Hope he comin' with food. Pretty sure the bonehead can make it…_

He kept walking, starting to pace as he saw no sign of Casey and a bad feeling was coming over him. He tried not to doubt the teen vigilante, but after more time passed Raph started moving. _Ya takin too long…_

He didn't make it far, as he skidded to a stop at the sight of Casey on the ground not moving. Casey? He saw the hockey stick beside his best friend as his eyes looked around quickly, seeing a small turtle in a pink mask with a pair of nunchucks.

Raph growled, taking out both his sai as she rubbed her arm. With the tails of her mask looking like pig tails, he was starting to wonder if using their masks as hair was something they all did and if he could strangle her with one of them.

"Ow! That stick thing really hurt!" She whined, and Raph's eyes narrowed as his transparent lids with over his eyes.

"Oh yeah?" He yelled, catching her attention. "Well, I hope this really hurts!"


	16. Making Up

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.**

 **All previous warnings apply.**

* * *

"Hey!" She moved quickly out the way, dodging the attack as she looked at Raph with a frown. "You shouldn't hit a girl!"

"STOP MOVIN!" Raph growled as he tried to land an attack on the girl, only for her to move again. She had managed to dodge and evade most of his attacks, and it was nothing less than annoying.

 _Feel like I'm dealin with Mikey…_ He moved again, watching her flip as he tried to catch her.

"You almost got me that time" She giggled as Raph narrowed his eyes at her. He took a glance at Casey, not seeing him stir, only to look back as she started to pull out two pink chains from her sides and putting away the chucks.

"Wanna see my favorites?" Her smile was wide as she swung both, and he dodged a chain coming towards him as that laugh got louder. "Come on! Let's have fun!"

This chick is nuts…He moved again, looking for an opening, until deciding to charge at her again. Both chains shot at him as he wrapped them around his sai, and pulled her forward into his fist.

"My nose!"

"You don't even got a nose!" Raph yelled back as she brought her chains back to her and Raph managed to untangle his sai.

"I have a breathing thingy!" She yelled as she covered his face, and Raph made his way to Casey while wondering just how crazy this girl was.

He let his fingers go to Casey's neck, feeling a pulse as relief went through him. "Now ain't the time, sleeping beauty." He nudged Casey, praying the teen would wake. A groan came from the other teen's lips, and Raph felt he could breathe a bit easier. Metal caught his eye, and he grabbed Casey, getting them out of dodge, and saw the chain hit just where they just were.

"You know, I kinda need my arm!" Casey yelled, and though Raph knew it was a rough dodge the alternative wasn't something he wanted to deal with.

"My bad, princess. Next time I'll let the manriki hit ya!"

"Rafiki?" Casey blinked as Raph pointed to the chains.

"The chains!"

"Why didn't ya just say that!" Casey huffed, moving slower than Raph liked as he grabbed his hockey stick from not too far off. "And where all these turtle chicks comin from?"

"Ya really askin' me?" Raph snorted as he eyed the pink-masked turtle who had started to play jump rope with one of her chains.

"One, Two, Buckle my shoe!" She giggled, and Raph stared at her.

"She serious?"

"Dunno, but…" Casey lined up a hockey puck. "I'm payin her back for that cheap shot earlier…" He dropped down a few more as Raph watched the girl continue to jump rope as Casey sent them flying, only for her to dodge every one of them.

"How the hell she do that?" Casey blinked and Raph wasn't sure what to make of it himself. He felt a presence behind him, and took a swing, nearly hitting her as she dodged his attack.

"Sheesh! Hold on, guys! I was trying to tell you that we have to play another time!" She grinned at them.

"She calls that playin?" Casey exclaimed, looking at her as though she had a second head.

"And sorry I had to hit you, Skull guy!" She gave a big wave, and Raph ran towards her, only to hear one of those flash bombs hit the ground and the light blinding him. He blinked as he slowly adjusted, not surprised to see she was gone with his head pounding at him from lack of food.

Raph let out a long groan, making his way back to see Casey still staring at that spot then at Raph.

"Bro, did we just get owned by a little girl?"

"Don't remind me…I need to eat." He sunk down, sitting where he was feeling drained from the fight and lack of food. Usually losing a fight would have him furious, but Raph couldn't find the energy to care.

"When's da last time ya ate?" Casey asked as he went to grab a bag, and pulled it over.

"Hell, if I know…"

"Tried to get here first, next thing I know I got turtle chick in my face." Casey started to pull out sandwiches and Raph snatched one as he listened. "Ain't this like the third one? And this one, she's a lot like…"

"Mikey. If he went batshit crazy…"

"Always wanted to meet Harley Quinn, I take it back." Casey gave a smirk, and Raph rolled his eyes as he watched him pull out more snacks. He took another one, swallowing it as the taste hit his tongue and he gave Casey a look.

"This a pizza sandwich?"

"Mikey gave me the idea," Casey said with a mouthful of food.

"Figures." Raph wasn't surprised, and the sandwich was starting to make him get a craving for one of those pizza gyoza. He ate another and pulled the bag closer, catching sight of only water and juice as he looked for a drink.

"Juice?" He gave Casey a look. "Ya think we 5? Where the beer?"

"We too fucked to drink" Casey laughed, and though Raph agreed after the time he'd been having, he wanted something stronger than juice. Soon he needed to get home and tell everyone what just happened.

"So, beer?" Raph gave a smirk, and Casey returned it as he moved again, pulling a small case from behind the vent.

"Ya such an alchy." Casey pulling out two, and tossing one to Raph as he caught it with a shrug.

"Ya can't talk." He chuckled, bringing the bottle to his lips feeling a bit better than earlier after getting some food in him.

They didn't drink all the time, but after a night of taking down the purple dragons, that was usually how it ended. He and Casey would be on that high from after a good fight and celebrate on a roof. The thoughts made him think over everything as he looked over the city, then to the night sky.

"Case…"

"Yeah?"

"I mean it, I was way outta line. Shouldn't said that…"

"Nah, ya shouldn't."

Raph leaned back, not surprised that Casey wasn't pulling punches. He deserved it, and like Leo, Casey wasn't bothered by Raph's temper and was quick to tell him when he was wrong. Though he usually took it much better from Casey, than Leo.

"So why did ya…?"

Raph thought of an answer to that, but no excuse he could give seemed to match up. He could blame his temper, everything happening, and even the Don situation but none of that made it okay.

"Ain't got a good reason…just lost it. I keep trying to figure out everything. Like why Leo keeps messing with Karai…Why is this chick liking Mikey and should I be worried bout that?"

"Chick?" Casey rose a brow.

"Irma likes my bro…"

"Oh…"

"And then Don, I'm worried bout him and it ain't just the April thing. Then on top of that, we got all these chicks popping up and for what? What do they want? And why the hell they got our weapons? And then Mona…she…" Raph let out a deep sigh.

"Why didn't ya stay with her?"

"What?" Raph looked over at Casey, seeing him looking up at the sky.

"Just…you found the girl of ya dreams, why not stay with her…"

"And how I was gonna do that? We had the world to save, bonehead."

"After that." Casey gave him a look, and Raph looked away. "Pretty sure with Don's big brain, we could have found a way to get ya to her."

"Cuz I belong here." He could feel eyes but continued. "And dad's here. My brothers, April and…" Raph turned his face, and dark eyes caught his own. "And you…"

Casey started to grin, and let out a loud laugh, "Why I gotta be last and how April more important than Casey Jones?" He continued to laugh, and Raph rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Jones."

"It's cool, least I beat the newt."

"She gotta name Case, use it."

"That ya can't pronounce" Casey laughed harder, and Raph slugged his arm, only to start laughing too. in the arm before finding himself laughing too.

"Shut up!" Raph laughed more and watched a wicked smirk come on Casey's face.

"Make me." Casey leaned in close, and Raph stared, his eyes going to his best friend's lips that kept coming closer. "I said some messed up shit, too but…"

 ** _RIIIIIIIING!_**

Raph jumped apart from Casey, feeling his heart racing as he fumbled with the phone answering it. _What the hell…_

"Sup?"

"Where are you?" Leo yelled, and then his voice softened. "Are you okay? You sound weird."

"I'm cool…I just had to check on, Casey." Raph breathed out. "So just chill, aight?"

"Chill?" Leo started yelling again. "You were in your room alone for a whole week and then suddenly yo-"

Raph clicked off the phone and rubbed his hands over his face. He wasn't surprised his brothers were worried, but he had too much on his mind to answer Leo.

"Case, we gotta go. I kinda ju-" Raph had no clue what was happening as he felt Casey's mouth on his, and he was suddenly pinned to the roof's floor as Casey's body pressed against him. His eyes started to close, and he felt a smaller tongue against his own.

Raph's brain left as he grabbed at strands of dark hair, keeping Casey close to him as a sound came out of him he didn't know existed. Their tongues battled, and he could taste blood as he gave Casey's hair a sharp tug.

Nails dug into his thigh, and Raph's head went back as teeth attacked his neck making it hard to think. That mouth traced along his neck, making images in Raph's head as he let out a churr, and suddenly it stopped as Casey pulled apart from him leaving him a wanton mess under him.

Casey's head rested against his, and he blinked slowly. His mind was mush as Casey stood and held out a hand to help him up, and his legs felt like they'd give out any moment.

"We gotta get goin, right?" He looked at Raph for an answer, but all he could do was nod as Casey gave a huge grin and started moving. He stared after the human and his brain finally produced one single thought.

 _What the hell just happened?_


	17. Casey On the Brain

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.**

 **All warnings still apply.**

* * *

The trip home was a blur as the kiss replayed in Raph's head over and over again until stopping at the entrance as April's face popped up in his head.

 _April…damn it…_ Raph's hands dragged down his face as he started pacing and stopping to punch the nearest wall. _What the hell I do now? This sounds like a soap opera…_ He couldn't fully blame Casey, he could have stopped it. That image replayed again as a shiver went down Raph's spine. He'd be lying if he didn't want more, and wanted to hit himself for where his thoughts were going.

Moving again, he pulled one lever first then another as the wall opened to the lair and automatically closing behind him. It was one of the many new security measures Don had put in place so people couldn't just walk in. They had enough unwanted guests to last a lifetime.

He could hear shouts from inside now, but couldn't pick out one voice apart from the other. _Is it Casey? April?_ Raph was unsure on his next move, but he knew he rather face whatever was going on. _No way in hell, I'm hiding…_ Taking a deep breath, he went further inside, unsure what might happen as he tried to not think of Casey.

"Raph!"

"Huh?" He didn't have time to process until arms were around him squeezing and he looked at Leo like he had two heads. "Leo?"

"I just…I can't believe you'd run off like that and…"

At the start of a lecture, Raph's eyes narrowed. He was already frustrated and overwhelmed, the last thing he wanted to deal with a lecture right now as he started to shove his brother off.

"If ya bout to lecture me, save it, Splinter Jr. If I could do it all again, I'd still do it! Casey needed me an-"

"I was scared…"

"Wha?" Raph blinked, not sure what to say next as he looked at his older brother.

"We couldn't get through to you, and April told me you just took off…" Leo slowly let go, and Raph started to feel guilty.

 _I must worried 'em like crazy…Then I…_

"I just was scared something happened to you, or everything got too much, so you threw yourself into a fight and…" Leo looked at him, and Raph felt worse, he couldn't deny that he wouldn't do something like that.

Plenty of times he'd lost it and looked for a fight, sometimes even knowing it might even be his last one. _Then ya leave 'em, then what…_ Sometimes it was hard to remember his dad's teachings about his temper and his own experiences with how it could end.

"Leo, I…" He rubbed his own arm. "My bad. Shouldn't yelled like that…" Just so much goin on…then there's Case…

"It's not like it's the first or last time, you'll do it. Your anger is part of who you are…"

"Yeah…" He honestly wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"I just was worried…"

"All of us were!" Mikey practically screamed as he tackle-hugged Raph. He let out a groan, though he couldn't help but enjoy a hug from his baby brother. _Neva tellin his ass that..._

"I'm okay, Mikey…" He could feel more arms around him as he went to stand and glanced back at Don. "Donnie?"

"It didn't help with the way Jones came limping in…"

 _So, Case is here…_ He took a glance around and looked at his brothers, seeing a lack of a dark-haired teen vigilante. "Where is he?"

"In your room…only reason I didn't go straight after you was because April felt you were headed to Casey's and dad was saying you might need a moment alone…whatever that meant."

At Leo's words, Raph's cheeks started to heat up, and he prayed his brothers didn't notice. He was starting to wonder what all the ninja master knew about him and Casey until a thought came to mind.

"Wait, ya'll was trackin me?" He yelled, and Don shrugged.

"We promised not to go after you, not track you down."

"Yep! We love you." Mikey laughed and pressed his face to Raph's, making him officially sick of hugging as he started to squirm.

"Mikey, off!"

"I can't lose my big bro, okay?""

"Huh?" Raph's movements went still, and he looked at the orange -masked turtle noticing Mikey's strange tone. Something about it, made him want to hide the gash on his hand more along with the other cuts. _Mikey doesn't know. Right?_

"So, nothing more stupid than usual, right Raphie?" Mikey looked him right in the eye as he gave a wordless nod and there was a loud kiss on his cheek. "Good! Though ya really need a bath, bro."

"Get off!"

Stop acting allergic to love!"

"Mikey, I swear if ya don't get off me I'l-"

"Welcome back my son."

At the sound of his father's voice, he looked and was surprised at the bags around his father's eyes. As he looked around, all his brothers looked tired.

"Didn't mean to worry you like that…"

"I know." A furry paw went to his shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze as Raph felt Mikey let go and suddenly he was in his father's arms. He'd deny he needed it, as he felt his father's strength around him. Letting out a deep breath he laid his head on his dad's chest. "There is much going on, and even though you protect this city, you are all still teenagers with your own lives. It could become too much for anyone, but we must not forget we are not alone."

"Tryin…"

His father pulled away, looking him over as a soft smile came on his face. "I trust you'll be ready for training after a good rest?"

"Yeah, I…" Raph stopped talking as he thought back to the turtle girl from earlier. "There's another one…"

"Another what?" Leo sounded confused as Raph turned to face him.

"Me and Case had a fight with another turtle girl that decided to show up, this one had nun chucks…"

"The same weapons as Mikey…." Don started to pace. "it can't be a coincidence."

"Pfft!" Mikey rolled his eyes. "She sounds like a poser, bruh! I bet she doesn't even have a catch phrase!"

"A po-" Don stopped talking, and Raph could practically see the light bulb as his brother started to grab the nearest papers and pen.

"What is it, Don?"

"A poser." Don looked up after writing down words like a madman. "The first one had a bo staff, the second the sai and now…"

"Now, we have one with nunchucks like Mikey." Leo breathed out. "They're trained with our same skill set, no wonder their moves are familiar…."

"But that's crazy. Master Splinter's the one that taught us." Raph looked back at his dad, only to see a pensive expression.

"Unless…"

"Unless it's Oroku Saki, or…" Leo sighed as he looked at their dad.

"Someone taught by him."

"Karai…" Raph growled as that single name came to mind.

"I don't think it's Karai…"

Raph stared at his older brother. "Leo, I get ya love ya little girlfriend and all but..."

"It's not that, remember our first run in with Karai?" Leo looked at each of them. "She thought we were a group of girls. And not only that but remember the other night?"

"She was looking for ways to counteract mutagen…creatures that been in mutagen." Don shook his head. "Why didn't I see it before?"

"Probably the lack of turtle girls, D." Mikey shrugged as Leo shook his head.

"No wonder Karai wants Irma, she must be having trouble wi-"

The sound of a cane interrupted Leo as they all faced their father. "Maybe this talk can wait until Raphael has at least showered?"

"Yeah, I agree." Mikey wrinkled his snout, and Raph eyed his baby brother. "Raph smells like SUPER bad!"

"You eat stuff that smells worse than me!"

"Wait…so does that mean…that you're food?" Mikey let out a huge gasp, and Raph felt a tongue on his arm.

"Mikey!" Raph hit his brother's head and folded his arms.

"Guys, correction. Raph is not food." Mikey rubbed at his tongue with his hands and Raph rolled his eyes.

He quickly told himself to ignore the rest of Mikey's antics for the rest of his life as he made his way to the shower. Shutting the door behind him, and getting in, thoughts of Casey came, and he felt worried. _Leo said he looked real bad, shoulda kept a better eye on him…_

He took a deep breath, making his shower quick as possible so he could make his way to his room. At the sight of the bonehead in his bed asleep, something stirred in him as a duffle bag caught his eye, and he went over to it.

 _So, you stayin' the night…_

It almost felt like always as he looked at it. He could still remember the first time he told his dad about Casey staying in his room. His dad never asked a lot of questions to why and Raph had always been glad for it.

As he looked at the duffle bag, he thought to Don's clothes and even Leo's. _Then there's those girls…_ His fingers ran over the zipper, and he ended up opening it seeing the clothes inside. _Even dad wears 'em all the time…_ Pulling out a pair of black shorts, he slipped them on and found a belt to put around it. Closing the bag, he glanced over at Casey again to make sure he didn't wake him as he dropped it back in the corner.

Stepping out his room and going back, Raph could hear his brothers talking again. Not seeing his dad, he took a guess that the ninja master was back in his room. _Not like we can't handle this…_

"We haven't seen Kirai since last week…" Leo let out a deep sigh as Raph found a seat and noticed Irma close by Mikey. "But we definitely know it's Irma that she wants."

"But we're not letting that happen, right?" Mikey looked at each of them, but Leo only looked thoughtful. "Guys!"

"We're not handing her over but we need more information, and unfortunately Karai has it…" Leo answered as Raph gave a look as he felt a body next to him. He should have known not to trust Casey to rest and sleep through a fight coming up. Though right now, having him so close was doing things to him that was hard to ignore.

"So, then what we doin', Fearless?"

"You're wearing clothes?" Mikey suddenly yelled out, and Raph could feel all eyes on him.

"Ain't those my shorts?" Casey's eyes on him were the most obvious, as Raph looked back at him and saw a hunger in the teen's eyes that made him shiver. It took everything in him to look away, and remind himself that he wasn't alone.

"Problem?" He mumbled, hoping that he could ignore his own hormones long enough.

"Not a one." Casey chuckled, and Raph wanted a change of subject.

"Where's April?"

"In the dojo with Master Splinter. Irma asked him to teach her ways to defend herself, so they're talking over the best ways to go about that," Leo answered.

Raph glanced over at the girl, one hand was firm on Mikey. Though she no longer looked as on edge as that first night, he doubted she was okay _. Can't blame her though, doubt she wanna end up someone's victim again._

"But I have to ask, what's up with …" Leo pointed to shorts he was wearing, and Raph shrugged, hoping that was answer enough. The reason wasn't horrible, but that look in Casey's eyes was still fresh on his mind.

"I want clothes!" Mikey's whine, brought him out his thoughts as Raph looked over at his baby brother. "But I'd want cooler! I could get a chain! Then I can be like the coolest dragon shadow superhero warrior of everything! Or maybe…"

Raph stopped listening, shaking his head as his brother rambled and he put his hand in one of the pockets feeling some shades. With a smirk, he fit them on top his head.

"Did I tell ya, you look good in my clothes?"

Raph's eyes snapped to Casey as he felt fingers trailing over his thigh, and with the way his body was begging for more, he realized one truth about his ability to control himself around the other teen. He was screwed.


	18. Sorta Boyfriend

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT**

 **All warnings still apply.**

 **Silverfox22 : I'm glad you like the story, it means alot.**

* * *

Leo had finally gone back to planning and was off the subject of Raph's clothes like he wanted, but Raph's brain was elsewhere. Casey's hand was pure evil as Raph felt those fingertips tracing his skin.

He could barely pay attention to a word Leo was saying as he felt Casey's hand moving on his thigh and making the shorts ride up a bit more with each teasing movement. As much as he knew he should be paying attention, he was going crazy as Casey slid closer to him.

Raph swallowed, knowing he should stop the other teen, but his mind and body weren't on the same page as he opened his legs a bit more.

"The only problem is Karai knows we have Irma," Don leaned back in his seat at the kitchen table they all moved to. "So, where exactly would we be patrolling to find her, Leo?"

"I thought that we could…" Leo began, but Raph didn't hear a word as Casey gripped his thigh, letting his nails dig in, and Raph bit his lip hard to hold back a moan. He gave Casey the best glare he could muster, only for the teen to return a smirk that had Raph thinking of unconventional means to wipe off.

In one swift movement, he grabbed hold of Casey, wrestling him to the ground as the chair fell back, and the two of them were grabbing hold of each other.

"Raph! Casey!"

At the sound of Leo's voice, he went still, remembering what he should be doing though it was hard to tear his eyes off Casey's lips. He kept staring, his eyes sliding over to the dojo as he started to remember April and he growled inwardly at himself.

"If you two are done, we're supposed to be going ove-"

"Later," Quickly he grabbed Casey's hand as he got off him, pulling him behind him as he heard Leo start to lecture and Raph shut the door behind them as he entered his room.

 _My bad, Leo but I need to do this before it eats me alive…_

He let his head rest against the door and started to feel hands at his side until he flipped them and Casey was against the door.

"Aight, Jones. Talk. Now."

"What?"

"First ya kiss me!" Raph started to yell, letting Casey go as he started pace his room. "Then you do…" As Casey started to grin, Raph could feel his cheeks heating up as he looked away. "Stop lookin' at me like that!"

"Like what?" Casey came closer and Raph's eyes narrow as he gave Casey a punch to the shoulder.

"I'm serious, bonehead." He growled at the other teen as Casey rubbed his arm, sitting on the bed.

"Thought that was obvious, and you came in wearin' my clothes, so I thought…" Casey's bravado seemed to be leaving him. "Look, I like ya…"

"Wha?" Raph stared at him, though it was obvious, to say the words out loud seemed different. He stared at Casey longer, trying to process it. "You…but…do everythin' red turn ya on these days?"

"You talkin' about that turtle chick?" Casey sat up with a jolt, as he yelled only for Raph to yell back.

"What you think?"

"I don't give a damn bout her!"

"And suddenly ya don't April too?"

"It ain't sudden!" Casey moved and shoved Raph back as his shell hit the wall as Casey kissed him again before he could think to hit him. "I always liked you, ain't my fault you was too busy lookin' at newt chick." Casey's lips touched his and Raph fought his urge to grab that hair and pull the teen closer.

"Casey…" Raph got one word out, trying to keep bits of control as he glared and forced Casey to the wall as he flipped them. "What's ya problem! You even laughed when I said somethin bout dating he-"

"Cuz it was s'ppose to be a joke!" Casey glared back, and Raph's grip weakened as he stared at his best friend. "I wanted ya before ya even knew she existed! I was by ya side through it all! Not her!"

"She…she had shit to do!" He was scrambling for words, pushing down thoughts of the days after that.

"She betrayed you!" Casey glared, his eyes daring Raph to say different but he was already thinking of that moment on his own.

"Case…"

"But all she does is punch you and give you some alien kiss, so she gets a freebie for turning ya'll over to Jurassic Park in space?" Casey narrowed his eyes at him "I still can't believe ya forgave her!"As Casey punched the wall closest to him, Raph watched his chest heave. "And you actually miss some chick you barely know who almost got you killed? Your family killed? After she nearly ruined everything! Really, Raph?"

"Ya done?" Raph folded his arms as he looked at Casey, watching the other teen move a hand through his hair as he started to deflate.

"Yeah…"

He plopped back down on the bed, and Raph slowly followed, sitting beside him as he looked to the floor. Raph couldn't deny that he had feelings for Casey and he never denied to himself that he needed the bonehead, but as April surfaced in his mind, he couldn't help the rage he was feeling. That feeling in his gut that churned, along with every part of him that wanted to hate the girl.

Part of him wanted to blame it all on her treatment of Don, but he was starting to realize it was more than that as he glanced over at Casey.

"How ya knew…"

Casey glanced over at Raph and released a long breath. "That day ya kissed Mona, everyone kept jokin bout the face I was makin. I felt sick to my stomach, but I was trying to be happy for ya...even though part of me hated her."

"Jealous ass." Raph snorted and saw Casey flip him off, but the realization of his own feelings made him want to do a facepalm.

"What's up?"

"What about April?" Raph knew he was mumbling, but he felt on edge and vulnerable right now. It was a feeling he hated, but he needed to know. _Should I feel sorry for this…_ April was still his friend.

"What about her?" Casey's brow rose. "She's hung up on D, the only reason she's dating me dude cuz she scared she'll end up hurting ya bro then he'll be all alone. And I figured you had Mona so…"

"Wait…" Raph started to laugh. "So, ya'll nothin' but rebounds for each other who can't get what they want."

"Why the hell I bother with ya again?"

"Somethin' bout liking me." Raph couldn't help the chuckle, though his nervousness hadn't eased up much.

"Maybe," Casey smirked, and Raph pushed him against the bed as he moved on top. Every thought to wipe that expression off Casey's face came back as he kissed the boy under him.

Casey's mouth parted granting him entrance, letting Raph's tongue move against his as their bodies pressed together. His mind was mush, and he didn't care. Fingers dug into Raph's thighs, making him gasp, but the more he pushed against Casey, the more his body screamed for more.

"Casey…" It came out more a whine than he liked as he felt hands slide over his thighs, nails digging into his skin as he pressed forward again. He needed more and was growing frustrated with each passing moment. "I need…"

"I got ya…"

Raph looked into those hungry eyes, every thought left his own as those lips captured his own and suddenly he was on his shell. A bite to his neck had him cry out again, as Raph reached up to grab those dark locks between his fingers as he pulled though Casey wasn't letting up.

Raph could feel that hand on his thigh again as Casey's leg nudged against him. That hand came closer, nearing Raph's tail until he shoved Casey off with everything in him as his body trembled with need and he wrapped his arms around himself.

"Babe?" Casey looked bewildered as he stared at Raph from the floor.

He took another deep breath, glaring at Casey as he slowly moved and held out a hand to Casey to help him from the floor.

"Did I do somethin' wrong o-"

"Jones…" Raph swallowed, pulling Casey to him as he kissed the other teens lips making the confused expression on Casey's face worse. "You ain't touchin' me till ya talk to April."

Casey started to smirk, and Raph rolled his eyes as he laid back on the bed still trying to regain control of himself.

"No prob." Casey chuckled, moving beside him.

"Cuz if ya go back to April after this I'm jamming ya hockey stick up ya ass."

"We really gotta work on that violence of yours." Casey snickered, and Raph rolled his eyes at him.

"And one more thing…"

"What's that?"

"Call me babe again, and I tell Leo what really happened to his Space Hero clock."


	19. Mikey's Gotta Girlfriend?

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.**

 **All previous warnings apply.**

 **To Xahraxs: Casey has no clue what's in store for him when it comes to that lol**

* * *

Raph didn't bother to leave his room until he was sure he had some control over his hormones. It helped that Casey had gone ahead to the dojo to talk to April, though now his mind was preoccupied with what was going on in there as he slid down into his seat.

"Going to tell us what that was about?"

"Huh?" Raph looked over at Leo crossing his arms and could already feel a lecture coming, though he knew it was deserved.

"First, you and Casey interrupt to have one of your wrestling matches, then after that, you just take off. If you hadn't noticed this is really impor-"

"I know…" Raph breathed out, trying to not to look at the dojo again. "Won't happen again, aight?"

He couldn't think of another response as he leaned back, telling them about him and Casey now didn't seem a good idea. He didn't even know officially what the two of them were until the April thing got sorted out, and then there was Don. _And what if April really do gotta thing for Case…? All this is nuts…_

"Raph!"

"What?" He blinked looking up at Leo as his older brother threw up his hands.

"Are you even listening?"

"Not really…"

"Raph! This is serious!"

"I know that!" He let out a deep breath, ignoring his other brothers' stares along with the extra he was sure was Irma as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"Look, I'm glad you and Casey are working it out…"

 _Ya got no idea…_

"But we still have a job to do. So, I need you and everyone else…" Leo sent a look to the rest. "…at our best."

"Got it, Fearless."

He could still feel Leo staring at him, and he already knew his brother was trying to piece together everything like a puzzle. If he didn't watch it, Leo would figure it out anyway, and Raph already felt enough on edge.

"Going by what we know right now…" Don trailed off, and Raph could hear his brother's fingers on the keyboard. "It makes the most sense to go with Leo's plan and go by other warehouses. Even without Irma, she could still be trying to find files or some type of data about mutagen that was left behind."

"We gotta plan B?" Raph looked between Don and Leo, "We all know when it comes to Karai, nothings guaranteed."

"He has a point, Leo."

"I know, and that's why…" Leo's eyes went to Irma, as she sat beside Mikey and suddenly Mikey was looking back and forth.

"No, that's a HORRIBLE idea!"

"We don't have a lot of choices Mikey, and we're going to be right there watching her."

"I said no!" Mikey yelled As Raph glanced over at a surprised Leo. None of them were used to Mikey being this against Leo, and under normal circumstances, Raph would laugh at the turn of events. Taking a deep breath, he tried to think of what to say to diffuse this as he glanced at Don.

"Ain't no one gonna let anyone hurt ya little girlfriend, Mikey. Aight?"

"Girlfriend?" Leo and Don were both in shock, and one glace to Irma told Raph that his teasing had truth behind it.

"You guys don't have to say it that way…" Mikey huffed.

"You have a girlfriend?" Leo yelled, and Raph couldn't blame him. The idea of Mikey and a girlfriend was surprising as he looked from one to the other. _And worse this chick has issues…_

"Since when? When did this even happen?" Don frowned at them both and Raph could already see Mikey was going on the defensive. "Mikey, don't look like that. I'm just worried because with everything Irma's been through and everything going on right now…now may not be the best time for a relationship."

"Bro, we're superheroes. There's NEVER a good time!"

"I get what you're saying, Mikey but…" Don looked at Leo for back up, only for their oldest brother to let out a deep sigh.

"We'll discuss this later, but right now we need to focus on planning the mission." Leo quickly gave Mikey a look. "Karai wants Irma, and that's a fact. She's our best bet at drawing Karai out of hiding and straight to us instead of running off if we do run into each other."

"But…"

"We need whatever extra info Karai might have on those turtles, Mikey." Leo's fist slammed down, making Irma jump and he quickly looked apologetic. "I know it's not a plan you like, but it's a good one. We can't keep going on guesses, we need to know what these girls are after."

"Besides wantin' to kill us?" Raph mumbled and glanced at the dojo again.

"If they want us dead, then why keep leaving? Why keep pulling back?" Don scratched his head. "Unless…"

"Unless it's orders…" Leo looked over at Don with a nod.

 _Orders? Wait…_ Raph sat up quickly, grabbing his brothers' attention. "That Talena chick, she said something about a Venus sayin' not to engage further or somethin'. And Larota didn't seem too happy bout the order."

"No clue what that feels like." Leo rolled his eyes.

"And it's safe to deduce she's using dual katana."

Raph snorted at Don, "Oh, yay. Another Leo." He ignored the look his older brother threw him and glanced at Irma. He could see her brows pinched together and wondered what might she be thinking of all of this.

"Mikey…" Leo spoke gently, but Raph could already see the answer on their baby brother's face. "Look…Kirai wants Irma. It's not like we're planning on giving her to Karai. We're just going to prete-"

"I get the plan, but I don't like it!" Mikey frowned, shaking his head as he continued. "You wanna use someone as bait use April."

"We are not going to use April," Don said quickly.

"But it's okay to use Irma?"

"She doesn't even want April, Mikey!" Don yelled back, and Raph was starting to wonder how long this argument would last. His eyes caught the dojo again, and he sighed. His phone hadn't buzzed for a message, and he hadn't heard yelling or anything which could be good or bad. _What if Case just said that…_ Raph shook his head at himself. _Nah, Casey wouldn't do that…Damn it. I'm losin' my mind here…_

"She's done it before!" Mikey's voice took Raph from his thoughts, and he couldn't believe they were still talking about it.

"Guys!" Leo yelled, interrupting them both, making Raph glad for Leo's usual level headedness. The room went quiet, and Leo looked between them both as he spoke again. "We won't use anyone as bait. We'll figure out another way…"

"Why? I thought it was a promising idea."

Raph's head snapped around, looking at Irma as she nudged her glasses up

"But, Irma!"

"Mikey, he has a point." She sighed, and Raph watched her squeeze his little brother's hand, but from the look on Mikey's face, he didn't look comforted by it.

"But you'll be snake bait! And Karai will be all like, "I got you where I like my pretty…Hisssss! And then…"

"Mikey…" Leo threw a look, and Mikey groaned as he looked back at Irma.

"You know what I mean!"

"I do, but it's not your decision, Mikey…"

"Who says?" Mikey huffed, and Raph watched the two face off as Irma's face got into his baby brother's. _This is just weird…_

"I say I'm going!"

"Well, I say you're not not going!"

"Is Mikey really having a fight with his girlfriend?" Leo whispered, and Raph gave a slow nod.

"Well, I say I'm going! So…" Irma stuck out her tongue and stomped her foot, as Mikey kept shaking his head.

"Stay times a million!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Should we stop them?" Don was looking back and forth as the two argued.

"I…" Leo seemed at a loss for words.

"Stay times a million!" Mikey yelled back

"Aight, I'm done" Raph got up feeling tired of the "argument". He quickly flipped his baby brother from the chair to the floor and sat on him as he looked over at Leo. "We finishin' this plan thing already?"

"Raph!" Mikey squirmed trying to get up, but Raph only snorted.

"Consider it a lesson."

"Can't you teach softer lessons!"

Raph started to smirk. "Ya know I gotta better idea, we use Mikey as bait and let 'em keep him."

"HEY!" Mikey huffed.

Leo sighed, "Raph, get off Mikey. And we're going with the plan of using Irma as bait."

"But…" Mikey looked over at Irma then sighed, "Fine…I still think it's a humongo bad idea."

"We'll be right there" Leo smiled at him as Raph started to move and helped his baby brother up.

"And if all else fails, we give 'em Mikey."

"Hey!"

"It'll be okay." Irma beamed, hugging Mikey as the orange masked turtle seemed to finally relax. "Nothing to worry about. We'll talk to Karai, and everything will work out."

"Yeah, because It's not like Leo's brain dead or anything when it comes to Kirai." Raph chuckled as Leo started to glare in his direction.

"Let's just follow the plan…"

"Whatever ya say, fearless" Raph smirked more as he heard his brother groan, but it didn't do much to distract his thoughts from the dojo.

"Let's get going. Casey needs to rest, and April can help Sensei look after him." Leo looked at them, but his gaze stayed on Raph a moment longer. "Want to say bye or anything before we go?"

Raph looked longer towards the dojo and shook his head, he needed to trust Casey to do whatever and Casey was in no shape to fight. _An' if I go in there, I ain't gonna wanna leave…_

"Nah, I'm good." He took a breath, as Leo gave him a nod, making him wonder what his brother knew until he heard a sharp gasp.

"Wait!"

"What is it?" Don turned to look at Irma as a blush started to rise from her cheeks.

"Just um…a little something for Mikey." She laughed, turning a deeper shade of red as she took off as Raph rose a brow.

"I wonder what it is?" Don's head tilted and Raph gave a shrug.

 _Let's just hope it ain't somethin' stupid…_


	20. Leo's Kinda a Badass

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT**

 **All previous warnings apply.**

* * *

"Booyakasha!"

As Mikey gave another yell, Raph wasn't sure if his baby brother's excitement was over being able to use his jet-powered skateboard or the clothes Irma had got him before they left. The clothes looked like everything his brother wanted with basketball shorts, a hoodie, and the chain, but the surprising part was the sneakers.

 _How the hell she found something for Mikey's feet?_ He looked at his brother's shoes confused again, as he took a leap to the next building and Mikey did another trick.

"Maybe letting Mikey use the skateboard, wasn't the best idea…" Leo muttered as they made it to the next location.

"Ya think?" Raph snorted, skidding to a stop as Leo carefully put Irma down from his back. He could see Don's projections from his watch as the rest of them looked around.

"Check this out, guys!"

"Mikey! We're supposed to be looking quietly!" Leo yelled as quietly as possible, only for the youngest turtle to make a zipping motion over his lips and continue to search while on the skateboard. "Skateboard, definitely not a good idea..."

"Least he's doing somethin'…" Raph muttered with a sigh, feeling a slight chill. They had already checked several places, and at each one didn't lead to Karai. "Leo's plan definitely ain't workin', and I can think of other things I rather be doing."

"Or you just want to get back to Casey," Leo said softly, yet Raph caught it as he blinked at his brother.

"What?"

Don sighed, coming closer to them. "I don't see anything yet, and time isn't on our side. We only have a few hours left before it's too cold for us to be out here."

"Maybe she's given up?" Irma looked at each of them as she wrapped her jacket more around herself. Raph was surprised she didn't go with Mikey, but with one look at the technology for Mikey's board, Irma had stayed clear of it.

"Karai giving up?" Raph snorted at the thought. "Ya don't know Karai then, she'll do whatever she has to. Always has." He gave a look at his brother. "Ain't that right, Leo?"

"Let's not start that now?" Leo gave his own look back and breathed out, "Anything at all, Don? I'm really starting to wish you never made that skateboard."

"Technically, I only upgraded it, and you didn't complain when I upgraded your scooter."

"He's got ya there, Fearless," Raph smirked.

"As far as Karai goes…maybe if I increase the range and…" Don's fingers worked quickly over the watch, and it had Raph even more curious about the contraption. "Guys, I got something!"

"Bout time…maybe I can hit it." Raph moved, getting his sai ready as Leo gave a look.

"We stick to the plan, stay around Irma. We don't leave any gaps. Mikey bring it in!"

"Coming!"

As Mikey jumped down and the sound of the skateboard's engine died the night became quieter. Raph looked from one direction to the next as he peered into the darkness for any sign of life.

"How many is it, Don?" Leo asked quietly as Don went back to his watch, his expression became perplexed.

"I don't get it...it's four but…"

"But?"

"They stopped at that building over there…I don't think that's Karai, I'm pretty sure it's the girls… But why stop?" Don's brow ridges pinched.

"Because they're watching." Leo quickly pulled his katana in front of him and looked to the rest of them. "Karai is definitely coming here, and they knew we were on the trail. They want us in the same spot."

"So, more bullshit…" Raph muttered as he glanced at the building Don had pointed to. His grip on his sai tightened as he growled, "They should just come over here."

"Maybe we're all wrong and Ka-"

"Shh," Leo interrupted Irma as they all got tighter around her.

Raph saw it soon after, feeling sets of eyes on them until ninjas in black started to appear wearing a symbol of a serpent. _Karai and her foot ninjas…_ He took a quick glance at Leo, trying to wait for his brother to give them the order to move.

"Where's Kirai?" Leo hadn't moved, and soon Raph saw the ninjas start to part as out the middle came Karai with a girl with long hair following her.

"Looking for me?" Karai chuckled, stopping in front as a hand went to her hip. "A present for me? Oh, Leo, you shouldn't have."

"Who's she?" Mikey pointed out, and Karai smiled more, making Raph uneasy.

"Oh, this? This is a friend of mine. Her name's Shinigami. You all met before…in a way."

Raph rose a brow, taking a longer look at the girl at Karai's side feeling very sure this was the first time he'd seen her before. _Though, it ain't the first time she lied. Nothin' new there…_

"That's a cute name," Mikey spoke out, and Raph glanced at his baby brother while catching the fallen expression on Irma's face.

"Aren't you sweet?" Shinigami chuckled, and Irma's expression became one Raph was all too familiar with.

 _Great job, Mikey, ya made ya girl jealous…_

"We want some answers Kirai." Leo's katana pointed out straight at Karai, surprising Raph. "No games."

"I told you they aren't here to give her up" Shinigami's voice was a sing song as Karai started to laugh.

"And what's stopping me from just taking her? You're outnumbered and surrounded."

"Because one good blow to the head would kill her use to you if she can't remember anything. Then where'd you be?"

"Wait…we're not hurting Irma! Are we, Leo?" Mikey's voice was frantic and looked at Leo in a mix of surprise and horror. "I mean…"

"We do what we need to," Leo answered coldly, and though Raph was aware of Leo's own nerves to do such a thing, part of him didn't put it past his older brother. Over the years, they all had to do some immoral things, just to make sure others were safe. _Like Mona…_ Raph cursed himself as he thought to his girlfriend, Casey wasn't the only one who had someone they needed to talk to.

"First you trick me, and now this…" Karai smiled as she leaned closer to Leo, "Have I said how much I love this side of you?"

"I'm serious Karai…" Leo's hand wasn't as steady, and Raph watched his brother, hoping he was pulling his resolve from somewhere. "Who are those girls and what does the foot have to do with anything?

Kirai sighed, "As I said, I'm trying to restore the foot...our…clan…" She looked away and towards the sky, "It isn't what it used to be. I'm going to restore honor to our clan, and it won't be this thing the Shredder turned it into."

"Yeah, cuz the foot is all about honor…" Raph muttered and soon heard a hiss as Karai's turned on him in a fiery rage that looked barely contained.

"You know nothing."

"But why me?" Irma screamed, and Raph had to hold back from berating the girl as he remembered her reactions from last time. "Just leave me alone!"

"I'm sorry, but that is simply not possible." Shinigami exchanged a look with Karai, and at a nod, she continued. "These mutants are ninjas and as it stands now our clan is not up to the take of facing them alone."

"Especially not when we know who they're working for and they could bring in…friends. So, we need a weakness, and you…" Karai smiled at Irma. "You win the prize of being our best chance at that."

"She can't help you, Karai. The K-" Leo paused, stopping himself. "Those aliens didn't understand the mutagen themselves when it was down here."

 _Good save, Leo. The last thing we need is Mad Hatter losing it._ Raph was in no hurry to find out what a jealous co-dependent girl was like during a panic attack.

"Is that true?" Karai's eyes narrowed as Leo nodded.

"Yes, so she can't help you. But maybe if you tell us everything about these gir-"

"Uh, Leo we gotta problem…" Raph looked, seeing something come into view and he was very sure it wasn't anyone that was with Karai.

"What is it?" Leo asked as Raph saw three more figures.

"Ya clone's here…and she brought some friends."


	21. Is that Kitana?

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT**

 **All previous warnings apply.**

* * *

"Anyone noticed the Kitana Mortal Kombat looking turtle?"

"She's right in front of us Mikey..." Don mumbled, and Raph kept his eyes on her as well as the three at her side. "Her and three girls, but they aren't moving…"

"Who cares, we bring down the leader the rest follow," Raph growled, he felt more than ready to take down the girls in front of him as he went to move, only to be sent a look from Leo.

"We don't know that, and the last thing we need to do is leave Irma on her own."

"Then what do we do, Leo. Cuz I'm tired of this stare down thing we doin'." Raph's eyes went to Larota's next as he saw her pull her sai from her sides.

"Ooo, it's kinda like we're in the Old Old West, right pardners?" Mikey snickered and looked back at Irma but from what Raph could see she wasn't laughing. Her expression had changed once again, and Raph could see the anger in her eyes and from the look on his baby brother's face, Mikey could as well.

"I mean…I…right, Irma?" Mikey's voice had turned to meek, and Raph didn't like it as he looked to Leo and Don, and nodded towards the two lovebirds.

"Right, Mikey," Leo smirked, taking on a stereotypical Texan drawl. "So, let's draw."

Raph chuckled and tipped an imaginary hat to Mikey as Don did the same to their baby brother. "So, let's getty up, Fearless?" Inwardly he was slapping himself for saying something this dorky, but as he saw the slight smile on Mikey's face, it was worth it.

"Now!" Leo yelled at each of them as they all moved, and Raph almost forgot Karai was there because of her silence as he charged toward Larota.

With a quick glance, he saw Leo hadn't, his brother was still near Irma fighting off Venus, but Shinigami was with Mikey taking on Pinky. With another quick glance at Irma, Raph knew this wouldn't turn out good for Mikey. The sound of metal clanged, and Raph gave Larota his full attention.

"Shouldn't you be paying better attention?"

"Maybe ya not that important," Raph smirked, seeing the fire light in Larota's eyes as she kicked him in the midsection making him fall back. He kept his sai ready as he went in for another attack, and moved quickly to dodge her blows as he attacked her.

 _Someone's pissed…_ He narrowly dodged the next attack, not wanting to be at the end of another one of Larota's powerhouse kicks as he tried to give her one of his own. As it missed, he growled with his temper flaring as he went after her.

He caught sight of Karai's foot soldiers trying to help, and it felt odd to fight beside the clan instead of beating them. A familiar giggle reached his ears as his and Larota's battle intensified, and the thought of his baby brother having to deal with another crazy girl was not one he liked.

Raph took a chance as he quickly grabbed Larota by her arm as she swung at him, and head butted her hard. He ignored the throb in his head, jumping over her as she went down. _She'll be super pissed when she wakes up…_ He saw the chain as it flew towards Mikey and went to side sweep her at her feet only for her to get away.

"What did I say about hitting a girl?" Pinky frowned as she bought back her chain and Raph snorted. He could already see plenty of Karai's foot soldiers on the ground, and Raph wasn't enjoying being on the losing side.

"Mikey, ya cool?" He yelled back as he kept his eyes on Pinky.

"We're good, Shini's helping!" Mikey laughed as he moved beside Raph, and he groaned to himself thinking his baby brother was going to end up single at this rate. His attention turned back to the pink-masked turtle, seeing her look in a new direction at Irma.

"You look fun! Wanna play?" She giggled. Raph glared, not willing to let Pinky touch the girl as he charged forward without a thought until a skateboard whizzed by and he ducked his head out the way.

"Mikey!"

"My bad, Raph!" His brother yelled back as the skateboard hit the pink masked turtle in surprise and Mikey moved in front of Irma. "I got you, Mia!" Mikey grinned back at her, but Irma limped away from him.

 _Damn, I forgot her ankle…_ He shook his head, making his way to help his brother and narrowed his eyes at the fallen expression on Mikey's face.

"Irma, what's wrong? What I do?"

"Amoly! I got him!" Came a yell, and Raph had no time to process it as he bought up his sai to block as the attack came and he was face to face with an angry Larota.

"Don't worry I can play with you both!" Amoly laughed and Raph, couldn't back to them as he started to fight Larota once again. He hated having to hope that Shinigami made it over to Irma and Mikey as he blocked another attack.

"We didn't finish!" Larota yelled as she swung at him, and Raph winced as it caught him in the jaw. Flexing it, he growled at the girl in front of him.

 _I ain't got time for this…_

"You're really pissin' me off…" Raph got his sais ready again as she did the same with a twisted expression that he wondered if it mirrored his own.

"Too bad!" She yelled as she lunged at him, he dodged her next hit and caught sight of Shinigami over with Irma and Mikey. He felt relieved though Irma didn't look happy at neither of her helpers.

Another kick came, and he blocked it, feeling annoyed that she was keeping up with his own attacks _. She's something else, but definitely no Mona..._ Raph kept up with blocking her blows as she blocked his with each of them only getting a few hits on the other.

As he tried to dodge the next hit, he ended up knocked back, growling as he got up. _Damn it!_ He got his sai ready again, catching a glimpse of Leo and Karai fighting alongside each other. Their movements were so attuned to the other, Raph had a feeling his brother had been fighting with Karai a lot. _Startin' to really think yall is together, Leo. You got some explainin' to do, but first…_

He looked towards Larota, trying to catch his breath until she aimed a kick at him that he narrowly dodged, only to get hit by a turtle coming right at him.

"Get off!" Raph moved, pushing them off as he saw the purple mask and cargo pants. "What the hell, Donnie?" He heard Don groan and moved to help his little brother up after standing himself while noticing his brother only had half a staff.

"Thanks…" Don grumbled, brushing himself off.

"Ya broke each other sticks?"

"Actually...no." Don sighed, and Raph rose a brow ridge at his little brother and readied himself as he noticed Larota and Talena with a full staff in front of them. Raph took one look from Talena then to his brother, and back to Talena with the urge to hit Don.

"You both got sticks! How the hell did her stick beat your stick!" Raph yelled, dodging as a bo staff came his way that reminded him of a taser.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because…" Don gave him a quick look as he started to yell. "Hers is made of metal!" He began to shake his head as they both kept out of dodge of the two girls. "I mean it's a metal bo staff with a simple electric charge! How could I not see it? I mean it's so obvious…"

"Nerd rage later!" Raph blocked Talena's staff and moved as he saw an electric current starting. He looked to see Larota was trying to keep Don busy as he looked back to the purple-masked girl. _So, taking the damn thing and breaking it in half so I can beat her shell like a drum is out..._ He moved backward, his shell hitting Don's as they were circled by the two girls.

"Hope ya gotta plan, Donnie…"

"I might so just listen…" He talked low, and Raph's grip on his sai tightened. "You see Talena, right?"

"Kinda hard not to…"

"See her backpack?"

"The one with the giant antenna thing?" Raph looked at the backpack on her back, it looked as large as her shell, and he swore he could hear a bit of envy in his brother's voice as he talked.

"It's not just a giant antenna thing, it's actually a high-tech gear back. The antenna is on a multifrequen-"

"Donnie!"

"Oh, right...you see it's very fragile and if you land blunt forc-"

"Donnie…"

"Just hit it…" Don let out a sigh, and Raph grinned.

 _Casey_ _would love this…_ He grinned more at the thought of his bonehead, then blushed at his own thought pattern. _Not now…_ Quickly he refocused, smirking at Larota as he rushed forward. She went in to attack and was knocked away by Don as Raph flipped over Talena. Suddenly he stabbed his sai into the pack, taking pride in the sound of the ruined sound of electronics.

"Oh, no!"

Raph could hear Talena's cries as he rejoined his brother and Larota looked back at her.

"I swear, Taly, if this dummy managed to destroy everything!"

"No, it's fine." Talena breathed out and pulled down goggles from her head that reminded Raph's of Don's own goggles. "I planned for such contingencies." She smiled as she tapped on the side of her goggles, moving to attack along with Larota as Raph felt his annoyance build.

"Now what, brainiac?"

"I'm thinking!" Don replied as they gave the girls and a swift kick, giving them both some room and breathing space.

"I'm tired of this…"

"It's like fighting ourselves…" Don breathed heavily, and Raph noticed the others joining them as everyone made a tight circle with Irma in the middle.

"Raph! Watch out!" Leo yelled, blocking a shuriken coming at his face with his katana.

"Thanks, bro." Raph swallowed, getting a good look again at the turtle girl in blue as the other three joined in with her in front.

"Talk about déjà vu," Don muttered. "We're back to doing this…"

"There's something weird about her katana…" Leo whispered. "So, stay alert…"

"Woah! They took out the foot soldiers. They're as good as us!" Mikey exclaimed, and Karai made a low hiss that had Raph smirking.

"I mean...uh…that sucks?"

"Great save, Mikey…" Leo sighed, and Raph held back a snicker as he looked at the turtle girls.

"They ain't attacking…"

"Noticed…" Leo slightly straightened, but Raph could still see the hidden defensive stance in his brother's movement. "What do you want? Why do you keep attacking us?"

The girl in blue lowered her katana, her eyes stayed on Karai and Leo as she spoke. "I suggest you relocate your clan. This city belongs to us, our clan and our master. Consider this your warning." She gave each of them a firm look as she began to walk away, "Larota, Amoly, Talena. We're leaving."

"Is blue like the leader color or something?" Mikey's head tilted, and Amoly let out a giggle.

"And red is like the 'Argh Me So Mad!' color." Amoly laughed harder, and Raph could hear the snickers beside him as he sent everyone a glare.

"What ya mean this YOUR city?" Raph yelled, gaining Larota's attention as she looked at them.

"Exactly what she said, so if you have a problem with it. I'm more than happy t-"

"Not now, Larota. We gave them a warning. After today things will end differently." Venus spoke back up, and Leo shook his head.

"We're not leaving."

Venus looked at each of them, but Raph swore she had sadness in her eyes as she looked at him, Leo, Mikey, and Don. "Then I'm afraid that the next we meet…myself and my sisters will not hold back. "

Raph opened his mouth to reply until he felt more people around. As ninjas surfaced all of them tightened the circle as much as possible around Irma.

"Umm, guys…" Mikey looked around, and not far off Raph could see four ninjas that stood out from the rest.

"Everyone hold your ground..." Leo said quickly as he looked towards the girls. "We have no reason to fight each other. No one owns this city. How about we speak to your master?"

"You have only a few months, that is all I can spare you. I am sorry, but talks are not something our master is interested in. We'll await your answer until then." Venus gave a look to her sisters and then turned back to them.

"Us fighting makes little se-"

"This city shall be his." Venus interrupted Leo as she slid her katana back in place. "And our clan shall be the only one in this city. I hope you take heed of this." She turned her back to him as Talena moved and a bright light followed blinding them.

Raph blinked, as he adjusted back to the night, and let out a loud roar in frustration as it became apparent the girls were long gone.

"We got beat again!" He turned to everyone else and noticed Karai looking over her soldiers while Don was checking on Irma's ankle. "We need to go after 'em!"

"No, Raph."

"Why not?" Raph stared at Leo as his brother slid his katana in their sheath, he felt on edge, and the idea that they couldn't beat these girls was driving him crazy.

"Because that would be dumb" Kirai folded her arms and Raph sent a glare as he stomped towards her.

"Who asked ya, snake!"

Leo quickly got between them, holding up his hands as Raph's chest heaved. Karai kept smirking, and Raph felt more than happy to knock that smug look off her face.

"Karai, you're not helping." Leo gave her a look, and she rolled her eyes as Leo looked at him next. "I know you want to go after them, I do as well. But going after them now isn't an option. Fighting them will only end in a stalemate, or them winning the battle. We're all tired and on it'll be too cold out here anyway."

"A few months…the weather is warmer then." Don looked at each of them as he moved his fingers along his watch. "It'll be spring…"

"And how's that important?" Raph breathed out, wrapping his arms around himself now that the chill in the air was more apparent with the fighting over.

"It means they're honorable…" Leo sounded thoughtful as he looked at each of them. "Let's get back, and Don, try doing some digging. Maybe we can find out something about these girls to give us an advantage."

"Fine." Raph took a deep breath, ready to take off but Leo had stopped with his eyes on Karai. His brother's hand went out, and she was staring at it.

"You're coming?"

"I…I'm not sure if…" Kirai said softly, and Raph couldn't help but feel annoyed at the gentle tones from the two.

"He'd love to see you" Leo smiled and holding out his hand further as Karai took it and Raph rolled his eyes at the turn of events.

"I'll keep an eye on things." Shinigami gave a small bow with a smile towards Karai, her form shifted until in its place stood the cat Raph recognized from before.

"That cat…it's…" Leo spoke slowly, looking from the feline to Karai again as the cat licked its paw.

"I'll explain later" Kirai sighed and looked towards the cat, rubbing its head as it purred and soon it took off with Karai's ninjas slowly following.

"Let's go already…" Raph grunted his mind had gone back to Casey and April again, and he was quickly losing patience.

Leo gave the nod, but once again they were missing one as Irma stood still making Raph eye her strangely.

"Now what?"

"Come on, Mia! I'll carry ya!" Mikey grinned, but she stayed quiet, moving away from Mikey as she shook her head.

"No thanks." She kept shaking her head, holding herself as she started moving and Raph was rethinking his position on yelling at the girl.

"But Irma it's dangerous if you…" Mikey reached for her as she snatched her hand back, recoiling as her body started to shake. Raph couldn't tell what was going on with her as Mikey slowly backed away.

"You know I wouldn't hurt you…"

"Leave me alone!" She grabbed hold of her head, standing with a look on her face that had Raph backing away until suddenly she went limp and fell into a heap.

"Irma!"

"She's fine, Mikey." Don sighed, picking Irma up carefully. "I should have known she may not be ready for all of this mentally."

"What the hell just happened?" Raph looked at the girl in Don's hands, thinking her freak outs were too much for them right now.

"She…well it could be a number of things…maybe at a point, she felt alone, and she started to draw inward into herself. That may have triggered her but honestly, it's hard to tell. She's not at a point where she thinks rationally like she should yet." Don sighed.

"So, you weren't lying when you said she's no help…" Karai let out a sigh herself, and Raph glanced over at Mikey, watching his brother's shoulders slump.

"D..." Mikey rubbed the back of his neck. "Can…you make sure she gets back to the lair okay for me?"

Raph stared at Mikey, his little brother sounded hurt, and he started making his way over to him as Don gave a small nod.

"I'll make sure nothing happens to her."

"I know D…" Mikey gave a small smile, as Leo looked at each of them and Raph gestured with his head for them to go ahead. His older brother gave him a long look until he nodded, getting everyone to go along with him, leaving him alone with Mikey.

"I don't know what I did wrong…"

Raph sighed, rubbing the back of his head at how defeated Mikey sounded. "Wanna get an ice cream before we go home?" He looked at Mikey, hoping to get a smile but all he got was a shrug from the youngest turtle.

"How? We're giant turtles…"

"Giant NINJA SUPERHERO turtles." Raph joked as he moved an arm around his baby brother, and watched a slight upturn of Mikey's lips.

"With pizza?"

"There's any other way?" Raph smirked, as he started to walk with Mikey moving along with him. His mind once again went to the dojo, and Casey with April. _Much as I'm wonderin' what the hell is goin on with that, my baby bro comes first…_


	22. Mikey the Genius

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT**

 **All previous warnings apply.**

* * *

Raph sat in the booth watching his brother eat a pizza with chocolate, sprinkles and ice cream with his snout wrinkling. His eyes went next to the food Mikey ordered him, and he tried to judge just how willing he was to die for Mikey.

"Bro, you gotta try this!" Mikey grinned holding out a slice towards his mouth that dripped food to the table as Raph kept his distance.

"Uuuh…"

"How's the food guys?" Came a cheery voice, and Raph never felt thought he'd be so happy to see Sayuri in his life as she appeared next to them. _Still don't get the hair…_ He couldn't help but stare at the things Sayuri had called dreads and wondered how she managed to get them to stay that way.

"It's good Yuri!" Mikey smiled, but Raph could see it wasn't his usual grin.

He had hoped food would take Mikey's mind off things and cheer him up, but so far, their trip to Mr. Murakami's daughter's restaurant was a bust. He could still remember the night she saw the four of them while they were getting her dad's pizza gyozas, and she told them that if her dad was okay with them, she was too. Considering who her dad was, they shouldn't have been surprised.

"That's good!" She smiled, going over to a few tables that weren't cleaned off yet as she upturned them for the night. "You guy's been to my dad's today?" she asked while cleaning off a few tables.

"Nah, came straight here." Raph shook his head, still feeling glad at their luck to catch her before she left to close down the place. "Ya sure no one else here?"

"Everyone else is gone for the night, I wouldn't risk you guys like that." She sent a quick smile as she stood up. "Though I have to ask since when have you guys had clothes?" She looked at them curiously as she scratched her head. "I swore the last I saw you guys it was just belts and masks except for Don and his cargo pants."

"The clothes a new thing." he shrugged it off as nothing, yet noticed Yuri's eyes were now on Mikey in a worried expression. No longer was his brother eating like a starving man as he pushed his food back and forth on the plate with his fingers, with a deep sigh Raph tried to think what to do next.

"So," He rubbed the back of his neck and gave Yuri a look, hoping the girl would take a hint as she gave him a smile and started moving.

"Where are you going?"

"Dad left some food for you guys, but I don't have a clue where I put it. I'll be back, guys. "She gave Mikey a smile and Raph hoped it was enough to appease the orange masked turtle as he faced his baby brother. "Let me know if you guys need anything else!" She yelled.

"Okay!" Mikey yelled back, looking around the place. "You know, Mia would love this place or Mr. Murakami's! She'd really like th-"

Mikey started to frown again and looked at his food, and Raph was still clueless at what to say next to his brother.

"So, you an' Irma…?" He mumbled, thinking that was a dumb opening, but it seemed better than nothing.

"We kinda talked about it." Mikey let out a sigh. "And we decided to try, but on the roof she…I don't know what I did."

"Maybe she was…I mean…" Raph began to say, but at a few sniffles from his baby brother, he wanted to hit himself for not being better at this as he tapped his fingers on the table. "I think she was jealous…"

"What?" Mikey looked up at him with watery blue eyes, and Raph slid from the other side to beside his brother as he looked at the table.

"Just…It's like..." Raph breathed out as he thought about his own feelings. "It sucks to see the person ya like making happy faces at someone else. Especially if you already weren't too sure you were good enough in the first place."

"Like you and Casey?" Mikey asked as Raph choked, and coughed on his own spit.

"Oh, no! Raph!" Mikey looked wide eyed as Raph's eyes watered and he felt a hit to his shell, that had him glaring at the orange masked turtle.

"Mikey, I ju-"

"We don't got backs! What do I do!" Mikey exclaimed, and Raph pointed to the water as he coughed. "Wait! I know!"

Raph moved to grab a glass and chugging down the contents, his eyes widened as a sneakered foot came his way, and he narrowly dodged it.

"What the hell Mikey?" Raph grabbed his little brother by the arms, fighting the urge to shake the youngest turtle as Mikey started hugging.

"You're alive!"

Raph rolled his eyes, pulling his brother off him as he moved to sit back down with Mikey at the booth.

"So, is it like that?" Mikey's question was quiet, and Raph looked over at him, part of him wanting to deny it but he slowly nodded.

"Yeah," Raph sighed. "It's like that." He looked over at his brother again. "I know ya ain't mean nothing by it, but no one really wants to see the person they like being cute with someone else. And your girl is a bit…"

"I know Mia's not okay…Everyone keeps acting like I don't get it, but I do. And I wanna help her through it. Is that bad?"

"It ain't bad, Mikey…" Raph sighed. "We're just worried about ya. And Irma seems like a lot…and…look I don't know her all that well. And I'm glad she makes you happier if that's what she does. But I'm gonna worry."

"But you didn't know Mona, and you got with her."

Raph blinked as his youngest brother looked at him, the statement had him wondering as he pieced together a question. "Ya…didn't like Mona?"

"No!" Mikey shook his head quickly. "It's not that, I liked you happy and stuff! But…" Mikey frowned as he looked away. "It sucked, okay?"

"What do ya mean?"

"Just what if she did do it? Then the dino dudes would have got us and…everybody be gone forever." Mikey started to pick at his food again, and Raph wondered more what his other brothers were thinking.

"Why ain't ya tell me all that before?"

"You were happy. Really happy, and that's all I want for all you guys." Mikey looked up at him, and Raph moved in closer to his brother as he took a deep breath.

"Aight, look. Ya right…things coulda went bad, but honestly, I couldn't blame her."

"Wha-"

"Just hear me out…" Raph gave a look as his brother's mouth closed. "I couldn't cuz if it came down to it and I had to choose her or you guys, I would pick you guys every time. And she did the same, I can't fault her for that."

"Just kinda feels like that with you dating her… or are you with Casey now?"

"What?" Raph was sure he yelled as he stared at Mikey. "How did you…I mean…"

"Pfft. It's like totally obvious, bro."

Raph let out a groan and moved a hand over his face, sometimes he wondered just how smart Mikey was.

"Anyway, Irma seems cool and all, but I don't know her. And before ya say something about Mona, yeah you right. Cuz the last time I trusted a girl, she nearly got us all killed to save her planet and I just…I don't ever want you feeling like I do where it eats at you all the time wondering if you did the right thing by forgiving her. Because…" Raph breathed out and looked at Mikey. "You're too damn awesome for bullshit like that. So, though I'm not all on board with this, know I got ya back. Okay?"

"Thanks, Raphie." Mikey grinned, and Raph let out a deep breath as his brother's arms went around him.

"No prob, little bro."

"Aww."

"Mikey?" Raph stiffened, his hand moving to his shuriken at the sound of a girl's voice not too far off.

"Yeah?"

"I'm killin' Yuri."


	23. I'm In Love With a Casey

**I don't own TMNT.**

 **All previous warnings apply.**

* * *

Raph rolled his eyes as he got home and gave Mikey a glare for stopping his revenge on Sayuri, only to get a laugh. He had no intention of hurting her, but scaring her was in his plans until his youngest brother stopped him and they headed home. It turned out to be a good idea, with the sun coming up and soon they'd have little to no cover to get home.

Once inside, a yawn escaped him as he stretched his limbs. Raph wasn't the only one dead on their feet as Mikey trudged behind him, it was always strange seeing the youngest turtle at a slow pace. The middle of the room looked inviting with the couches and the bean bag that he claimed as his personal spot.

"Mikey?" Irma's voice reached his ears, and Raph saw the girl sit up on the couch. He still felt wary of her, but as Mikey's eyes widened and his little brother drew closer, he tried to remember his decision to support Mikey's decision.

"You're not in the med-room?" Mikey started to look her over as Raph saw her ankle looked more swollen than before. _Guess she ain't gettin' those lessons no time soon…_

"No…I…" She started to fidget as Mikey continued to look at her, the moment felt awkward with Raph standing there, and he began to feel like he was interrupting something. She let out a deep sigh, her brown eyes looking at Mikey pleadingly, "Please, forgive me. I just…" She looked down again, mumbling her words as Mikey picked her up carefully.

"Wanna talk in my room, Mia?"

She gave a small nod, hiding her face in the crook of Mikey's neck as his little brother looked back at him. "Raph, I'm gonna go talk to Mia so if I'm a little late to practice..."

"Go head, I'll handle mama Leo," Raph gave an easy shrug, trying to hold on to his annoyed expression as his brother's eyes lit up.

"I owe you!" Mikey laughed, making his way out and leaving Raph in the main room alone as he let out another yawn.

 _Just what time is it…_ Raph rubbed at his eyes, slowly making his way to his room.

Once inside, he took off his gear along with the clothes as he plopped on the bed and his eyes already started to close. As an arm slipped around him, the feel of a familiar body came to Raph as he snuggled up close to it without a thought.

 _Mm, Casey…Wait…Casey?_ Raph's eyes popped open as he jumped up from the bed, finally noticing the teen that was in it.

"Casey! What the hell you doing here?" He stared at his best friend as Casey shifted in his bed, not even opening his eyes.

"Damn, Raph, ya don't gotta yell…shut up and come to bed."

 _Shut up and…._ Raph stared at Casey longer, raising a brow ridge until his patience wore thin. "CASEY!"

"What?" Casey let out a groan, opening one eye as Raph gave the other teen a look.

"Why ya here…?" It was a loaded question as Raph looked over the other teen, part of him was starting to wonder just how badly Casey had to be hurt to be staying.

"I was sleepin' before ya rude ass woke me up." Casey moved to sit up, and Raph snorted at the human in front of him as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Are ya…"

"I'm straight, I ain't fragile, shellbrain…" Casey gave a smirk that helped quell Raph's fears, and he let out a relieved sigh, but still, it didn't make sense to him. His brain was mush from exhaustion, and he couldn't make sense of it now.

"And ya sister?"

"Izzy's with a friend, a girl I know named Angel…"

"Angel?"

Casey smirked, "Worried bout me around other women?"

Raph snorted, "Was actually feelin' bad a girl named Angel has to be around you."

"For your information, her brother Ryan's on my hockey team."

"Yeah…" Raph looked at the wall, it was hard to admit that his issue wasn't that Casey was around other girls. It was a problem that Casey was always around people, and Raph was always witnessing his charisma, it made him think more about April's fears.

 _If this shit go wrong with Case, and I give up Mona… Then what? Who would even want me?_ He breathed out, picking at his bandaged hand until Casey grabbed hold of it. He looked at Raph a long time as he got out a kit, and started to rewrap the hand he bandaged from before.

"Whatever ya thinkin'. Stop it."

"Why? Do ya even gotta clue what ya givin up to be with me, Jones?"

"Not really, New York's pretty cool with same sex marriages."

"Casey, I'm serious!" Raph snatched his arm back, and let his head rest in his hands as he heard a sigh beside him. The bed shifted as he felt Casey come closer.

"My pops wasn't always like how is he is now…he actually used to be kind of cool. "Casey chuckled as Raph's head lifted, and he looked over at the other teen silently. "We'd go to storage units that people auctioned off, and my dad always managed to get the best ones. He'd even let me keep some of the stuff in some of them, and mom was the coolest sales person. Probably could sell you ya own clothes." Casey snickered as he turned to Raph then back to the wall with a sigh. "My parents were crazy bout each other. Izzy was just a baby."

"What happened…"

"I told you there was a fire…how my dog went in, helped us all get out but then when he went to get mom…" Casey frowned. "Just wasn't enough time. It…it was Hun…"

For real?" Raph blinked, staring in surprise as he watched a dark expression cross Casey's face that he now understood completely.

"Yeah…promised myself he wouldn't hurt no one else. And I'd make him pay."

"Case…"

"And turns out my dad ain't nothin but a liar…"

"What do ya mean…?"

"My pops used to run the dragons…" Casey spoke slowly, and Raph's eyes widened at the revelation. "Hun came over, offered my pops to let him take over, heard my parents argue over it the night before it happened. Mom wanted us out, but my dad…my dad couldn't let his stupid pride go. So, then Hun took all of it…and dad ain't have nothin but Izzy and me, and then the drinkin started." He looked over at Raph. "Ya know the rest…"

"Bu-"

"I ain't got much." Casey interrupted him with a look in his eyes that swallowed Raph whole. "but I got you, shellbrain. So…" His hand slowly went to Raph's bandage one as he looked over his handiwork. "Do some stupid shit like this again, I kick ya ass."

"Whatever," Raph smirked, letting his head lean in and touch Casey's. "My bad…" It was a quiet promise, one he barely had to voice since it was Casey and he knew the other teen understood. _Both of us ain't got much, but we got each other…_ He snorted, feeling like a bad Hallmark card.

'Ya ready to go to bed now, or we continuing this mush fest?"

"Fuck you." Raph laughed, pulling away as he punched Casey in his good arm and laid back on his bed. He could feel the other teen move beside him, fingers touching him as Raph's heart started to speed up.

It sped up faster as Casey's lips went to his neck, his eyes closing as he felt a bite that had him gasping with nails starting to dig into his thighs. His legs parted, wanting more as exhaustion became a second thought with everything Casey was doing with him, as he let the teen explore. There was an ache at his tail, and fear of Casey's reaction as he held back from revealing himself as Casey's hand to travel lower, moving over the grooves of his plastron.

Raph licked his lips, moving to turn over and capture the other teen's mouth with his own until the sound of snoring reached his ears, and Raph felt frustrated.

 _Is he fuckin' serious?_ Raph growled every inch of him was screaming as he shoved the boy out the bed in frustration.

"Raph! What the hell?" Casey yelled as he tried untangling himself from the blanket he was in, as Raph eyed him. "Is this about April?

"Nah! This about how ya jus-" He went deep red, shutting his mouth as the thought of saying how needy he felt for Casey's touch was not something he felt comfortable saying out loud. _Wait, April? How did I…?_ Raph facepalmed, not believing how he completely forgot and didn't have one thought April.

"Oh, wait…This ain't bout April. Is this bout how we almost got to second ba-"

"Shut it!" Raph's face felt on fire as he heard a hardy chuckle and Casey yawned as he got back on the bed, placing a kiss on Raph's cheek.

"My bad, me and Red was talkin' all night and honestly ain't got a lot of sleep lately. Guess it's catchin up. Though if ya really rarin to go, I can make sure I stay up and…" Casey started to wiggle his brows and Raph hit the teen again.

"Jus' tell me about you and April."

"Ya know, you kinda tsundere…"

"CASEY!"

"Aight, aight." Casey laughed again, lying back on the bed. "Me and April are no more, in fact, I told her she should talk to Don and stop being an idiot because ya never know…some chick might sweep him off his feet and leave Red in the dust."

"Donnie and some other girl?" Raph snorted at the thought. "Don't ya remember who my brother is? Ya know…The brainiac who only recently stopped practically stalking the girl?"

"Says the dude who found an alien newt girlfriend in outer space." Casey deadpanned. "And then there's the time chick with Mikey. And that alien chick Leo tried to flirt with in space. And then remember back in space, at the bar and that girl named Mezcal?"

"Ya say that like every chick is after me!"

"Bro, every girl IS after you. I got way more reason to be worried than you do." Casey snorted. "So, who knows what alien, mutant or whatever chick could appear and steal D's heart."

"Ya think they'll get together?" Raph picked on his brothers, but the idea of them happy was always a good one. He worried about Leo because Karai was dangerous. He worried about Mikey because Irma was insane. Raph could at least say he knew April, though, part of him felt upset with her for not wanting to just take that chance with Don like Casey was with him.

 _We got some bad ass timin though,_ He sighed deeply, knowing he needed to talk to Mona and soon.

"So, ya'll really done?" Raph couldn't help but ask again, his nerves felt frayed, and at the sound of Casey' silence, it did nothing for his nervousness. "Look, if it ain't the case then…" At the sound of snores, he stopped talking and glared. "Casey!"

"I'm up!"

"You gonna answer?"

"Answer what?" Casey yawned again and rubbed at his eyes, his head bowing again as Raph hit him again to keep the bone head awake.

"You know what!" He yelled as Casey let out a groan, rubbing his face.

"Can't it wait till mornin'?"

"It is mornin'…." Raph snorted though he understood Casey's meaning as he eyed the teen. There was no way he would be able to sleep until he was sure.

"We could be cuddlin', or…" Casey looked at him meaningfully, "Doing somethin else, but ya rather talk bout Red?" Casey smirked, and Raph could feel his cheeks heating up as he thought about the meaning behind Casey's words. He shook his head quickly to the thoughts as he hit Casey again.

"Aight damn!" Casey laughed, rubbing his arm as he looked at Raph. "Gettin more bruises from my boyfriend than I am the dragons." He teased, and Raph stared.

"Ya serious?"

"Unless...you changed ya mind," Casey said slowly, his confidence seemed to have left as he continued. "Like I said, I talked to April, so no worries there. But if you still wanna be with Mona..."

Raph rolled his eyes, watching Casey bow his head until he grabbed the other teen by the hair as he crashed his lips to his. The kiss was rough, needy, as their limbs tangled and Raph suddenly found himself under the other teen.

"So, I take it we ain't sleepin'," Casey smirked, as Raph looked at him with pure fury if the teen continued to talk instead of what he wanted. Casey snickered, kissing Raph again as his hands traveled over his thighs, and the arousal that was once at the edges came back full force as Raph fought back a moan.

Casey's mouth was at his ear, and he shivered as the other teen started to whisper.

"Just tell me what ya want, babe." Casey bit a spot, but it felt like ice water had been doused on him as his arousal left at that one word and he shoved the other teen off.

"Raph? What?"

He didn't say a word as he made his way to his own door, and out of it. "LEO!"

"Wait! Raph! I ain't mean it!" Casey seemed to get a clue, and Raph could hear his new boyfriend running after him, but he meant what he said as he smirked.

 _Don't call me babe._


	24. Turtle Girl Origins

**To Xahraxs: I agree, just say I love you and Raph can stop being a tsundere. LOL**

 **I don't own TMNT.**

 **All previous warnings apply.**

* * *

As Raph watched Leo chase down his now boyfriend, he couldn't decide if it was worth it or not to tell Leo about his clock as exhaustion set in again and he was yawning. His eyes were closing, and Raph was sure he'd pass out any moment until he saw his brother dive in to tackle Casey, only to be caught by their dad as he gave both a look. The whole scene had Raph go into a fit of laughter, earning a look himself as his dad issued a punishment for all of them that ended up in the dojo.

The back-breaking training left Raph not wanting to leave his spot once he plopped down on his bean bag chair and Casey was already passed out on the couch. His own eyes were closing, and Leo had already disappeared to his own room.

 _Probably where Karai is…_ He snorted at the thought. Raph was not on board with having Karai in their home still, yet sleep desperately claimed him as his eyes shut.

"But ma…I don't want Rainbow Dash...I want Fluttershy."

 _Huh?_ Raph's eyes snapped open, peering over at the other teen while wondering how long was he passed out. Did he just…A slow smirk came as he decided to file that information away for later as he slowly got up.

"Get some rest, Case." Raph looked at his boyfriend, watching him start to shiver in his sleep as he held on to the nearest pillow.

Raph touched a few locks of hair, brushing them to the side as the urge to kiss him came over him, making Raph blush as he made his way to his room to grab a blanket. Rushing back, he put it over Casey and stretched his limbs as he looked towards where Mikey's room lay.

 _Wonder if everything aight…_

Raph walked forward, making his way to his brother's room, catching sight of Leo's as the memory of how his brother unraveled over something Space Hero related gave him a small laugh. _Def was worth it…._ He chuckled again as he kept moving, and started to push Mikey's door open as he thought of the many times Mikey never bothered to knock.

"Mikey, I just wanted to…" Raph's words died as the scene in front of him made him feel as though his jaw dropped and he no clue what to say next as he saw Irma on sitting on top of Mikey.

"Raph?"

He didn't stay to answer Mikey as he backed away, and closed the door trying to forget what he just saw. _Nope, nope…I refuse…_ He kept shaking his head, the thought of his brother doing what he thought Mikey was doing was not something he pictured happening anytime soon. _Ya just had to get a girlfriend…_ Raph knew at some point he needed to talk to the youngest turtle, he always promised himself that he'd be there for his brothers when that moment came, but now that it was that time Raph wasn't sure how to handle it.

Shaking his head again, he made his way to Don's room, out of all his brothers, the purple masked turtle seemed the safest right now especially when he was sure April was home. _Would they already be together?_ He knew Don wanted April forever and from what he learned from Casey, April wanted Don. _So, what would stop 'em?_

He sighed, prepared to knock on the lab door as an image of his baby brother under Irma appeared again making him groan. Quickly he knocked on the door, pushing that image far down until he could come to terms with the whole thing, while ever wanting to see that again.

"Don!"

Raph pressed an ear to the door, not hearing much movement or a reply as he started to bang on the door feeling worried. _Damn it,_ He kept knocking remembering how Don was last time he went to the lab like this and how his younger brother had been depending on caffeine. He growled at himself for not keeping a better eye on the other turtle as he moved back, and charged at the door as it slammed open.

"Donnie!"

"I'm up! I'm here!" Don jumped up, looking wide eyed at Raph from his chair as Raph breathed in relief. "Are you going to tell me why you just broke down my door?"

"You wasn't answerin' fast enough." Raph snorted, leaving it at that as his younger brother looked at him.

"You can't be everywhere, and you can't watch us all at all hours."

"Try me." Raph gave a look, knowing Don was trying to tell him not to worry without saying the words since they both knew Raph was not going to admit it right now. When they were younger, this was easier, if Mikey were scared of the dark he'd let his baby brother sleep with him. If Don were scared of some monster beating him up, he'd come and threaten to beat up the guy that was hiding in his brother's closet. _It ain't that simple now, to protect ya'll…can't stop ya'll hearts from bein' broken, so it sucks._

"You're…okay?"

He noticed Don staring at him and decided to nod as he slowly thought out his question.

"Ya talked to April?"

Don's expression changed as his brother got up from his chair and went over to the many screens along the wall, showing from what Raph could see, a pet store. His brother said nothing, bringing his laptop to him, as he started typing.

"Donnie?"

"Yes, I talked to her…"

"An?" As he watched his brother's shoulders slump and heard a deep sigh, Raph was already sure of the answer.

"She asked if I wanted to be her boyfriend…"

"And that's…bad?"

"No!" Don yelled out, turning to face him as he mumbled to himself. "It's not bad, it's good. It's everything I wanted but…"

"But?"

"Did you know Casey's the one who dumped her? Well, of course you know, he dumped her to be with you, so why wouldn't you know."

"Wait, what?" Raph blinked, but Don's ramble continued.

"And at first, I thought, she's just doing this because she was dumped. I'm just a rebound, the guy she didn't want. Her second choice…Wait no, I thought I was her third choice because I wasn't even on her radar at all. She didn't choose me on her own, and that's all I wanted."

"Uh, Don…?"

"But then she says that never was the case. I was going to kick her out the lab, I was just so…. hurt. But then it turns out she didn't get with me because she was scared. I didn't know how to handle that…No, that's not right." Don sighed. "I still don't know how to deal with it."

"But Donnie..."

"She was too scared to be with me, Raph." Don frowned and looked away, "No matter how you shape it. No relationship is guaranteed, none. She can use the excuse that it's because I'm a turtle and she was scared I'd be alone if we break up or something. But who knows what would happen, I mean even you get people all over you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raph couldn't help the yell as he looked at his younger brother.

"Well, there's Mona…that Mezcal girl, Casey, and wasn't that other girl on that other planet named Ninjara…."

"Stop, talkin'." Raph gave his brother a look. "Ya startin' to make me sound like a…"

"Pimp?" Don smirked a bit as he looked back and Raph rolled his eyes.

"I still think ya should talk it out with O'Neil. Ain't sayin jump into a relationship with her or somethin, but just talk to her again. In a way, she was worried about ya, she should have gone about it better, but she didn't. No one perfect…."

"I guess…" Don sighed.

"Just sayin' because you loved this girl forever and I don't want ya regrettin nothin…" Raph shrugged and watched his brother, knowing Don was in the middle of his thoughts. "And like ya said who knows, maybe someone else might catch ya eye."

"I could just build a girl…."

"Don't be weird, Donnie…" He gave his brother a look. "Anyway, found anything?"

Raph saw a grin on Don's face as his brother went back to his laptop, and Raph glanced around the room at the alien tech in the lab with sheets now on it. At first, Raph wasn't sure about using the tech that gave them so much trouble in the first place. Another side of the room held their medical supplies and other equipment, along with the new security system Don had put in place.

He wondered how long they'd have to keep the tech away from Irma's eyes, he wasn't even sure what was wrong with her.

"Mad Hatter, does okay in here?"

"Somewhat, I have to give her sedatives, and there are still certain triggers. Some I'm certain of, others I'm not. She seems to do fine around Mikey for the most part, but even he can't do anything about sounds and smells…" Don sighed as several screens on the wall changed.

"Yeah…" Raph sighed. "What the hell wrong with her, and that's what made her faint after the fight."

"Actually, that was me. I darted Irma with a sedative….as far as what's wrong with her, I'm sure it's post-traumatic stress disorder. I don't think Mikey realizes what all he's in for, but the good news is this. You'll hardly believe it when you see it. Just look at the screens."

"And?" Raph looked over at his brother and then back at the screens. He had no clue what he was looking at besides from the view of a pet store and what looked like different forms as he started to read one. "Wait, is that…pet turtles?"

"Look at the date…" Don gave him a look as Raph started to read.

"But that's the same day dad said we mutated!"

"Exactly." Don started to bring up new images on the screens and enlarged one image. "At first, I was trying to look to see if there were anything on people seeing any strange beings that match the girls, and that turned out with nothing. So, then I thought about the girls' ages, turtle type and anything that matched everything I noted about the girls."

"And it came back to a pet store?"

"Not…just any pet store." Don looked back at him. His brother pressed a button as a video played, and Raph saw a turtle tank, soon they were gone after being sold, but the next events made Raph's eyes widen.

"That's…"

"It's...dad. When he was human..."

Raph couldn't look away, getting up as he let his fingers touch the screen as he watched his father talk to the sales associate near the turtle tank. The sales guy was trying to explain to their father that the turtles weren't for sale, that they were nearly holding them until they'd be sent to a lab since all four were from the same nest.

He frowned at his father's sigh, seeing the look in his father's eyes that he was sure from losing everyone. _All he wants is someone to take care of…_

At the sight of his father making his way to leave, Raph almost wondered how his father managed to get them until the sales associate called him back. The guy held out a jar, but Raph noticed another turtle had been placed inside as the sales associate explained that his dad would have to take five, and he'd handle the rest.

"Wait, so some dude illegally sold us to dad with an extra turtle?" Raph nearly laughed, as he watched their dad pay.

"He probably later told them that since it was labeled four and five were inside, he was confused. Or some excuse like that but keep watching."

"Pretty sure it ain't work with security cameras…"

Raph's eyes left the pet surveillance camera and went to another outside of the store that was on another screen, but soon his dad was out of the camera's range.

"Donnie, pull up another camera! There's gotta be…."

"I already tried that, we're talking more than a decade ago Raph…." Don sighed. "I wanted to see it all too."

"And the fifth turtle?" Raph looked over at Don, as his brother leaned back in his seat.

"I pulled up the records, and they had been wiped to make it seem like a purchase of four. Not only that, but the three that were bought were wiped as well, which is strange for just a pet store."

"So ya got nothin'" Raph snorted.

"Oh, ye of little faith." Don's fingers moved across the keyboard and Raph was soon looking at forms on the computer screens. "It only took a bit of hacking into the database, and looking through police records since the owner from back then was arrested for being involved in a criminal ring and all files were behind lots of encryption and federal security."

 _Federal security?_ Raph took a long look at his little brother and blinked. "Don?"

"Yes?"

"Ya skills gettin' even scarier."

"Why thank you," Don smirked, and Raph wondered was there a limit to what Don couldn't pull up or hack his way into. They all had gotten used to having to rely on Don's brain, and Raph was starting to wonder more where would they be without Don.

"The other three turtles were from the same group of eggs as the turtle dad purchased with us. But they weren't just sold to anyone"

"Who were they sold to?" Raph came out his thoughts, looking at his younger brother as Don stared back at him.

"To an Oroku Saki in Japan."

"Shredder"


	25. Raph, I am your Sister! Mwa Ha ha!

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT and all previous warnings apply.**

 **Sorry for the slow update, life is busy at the moment. There are 5 chapters left and I'm going to try to get this story done as soon as possible.**

* * *

"LEO!" Raph stood up in a rush, about to go out the door as that latest information swam in his head. _Shredder? A fifth turtle?_ He tried wrapping his mind around it as his mind thought back to Venus and those sad eyes she made at them. _There's no way in hell she knew…right?_

"What is it?" His older brother rushed in looking around and then at him and Don. "Is everything okay? You found something, Don?"

"Around the same time dad got us, Shredder bought three baby turtles…"

"And there's supposed to be 5 of us!" Raph quickly added as he saw the surprise on Leo's face. "Can ya believe that? FIVE!"

"Five?" Leo slowly sat down, and Raph knew he wasn't the only one having trouble wrapping his mind around it. "This is…"

"I know…." Don sighed and started to discuss it with Leo as Raph felt his own emotions start to gain hold of him. He couldn't believe that his father never said anything, his hands clenched into a tight fist, and he felt close to losing it.

 _How the hell ya keep somethin' like that secret?_ His blood was boiling, and he started to pace without a thought, it was hard to focus on little else as he pictured what might have happened. _And do she know?_ He couldn't shake the feeling that Venus had an idea at least.

"Raph?" Leo asked as Raph turned to his older brother, barely hearing him over his own enraging thoughts.

"How da hell we never knew this shit? Why dad never said nothing!?" The words came out, and he didn't bother stopping them as he continued his tirade. "Can ya tell me that, Leo? Or ya gonna tell me some new bullshit that makes this alright?" He started to snarl, punching his hand into the wall with a force that made the shelf beside it shake.

"Not in the lab Raph!" Donnie yelled as he caught a jar that threatened to fall with the end of a metal bo staff.

"You redid your staff?" Leo's eyes went from the staff to Don, and Raph crossed his arms. "Why?"

"Because purple princess got one." Raph snorted, though he felt bad about knocking over his brother's stuff, his anger was winning over his guilt.

"I'm a scientist I can admire someone else's ingenuity." Don eyed his brother, but Raph only rolled his eyes.

"But she's the enemy!" Raph felt like hitting the wall again, and Don started to dare him with his eyes. His brother was always more assertive when in his lab.

"Guys! That's enough." Leo looked between them, and Raph forced himself to lean on the wall as he barely held his fury. Don slowly let his staff go back to its spot and let out his own breath.

"Now…can we please discuss this without losing our heads?" Leo to the both of at them again as Don nodded his head and Raph snorted an affirmative. "Don, are you completely sure that Shredder's the one that bought those turtles?"

"I'm sure unless it's some other Oroku Saki from Japan we don't know."

"Fat chance of that…" Raph murmured as Leo slowly got up with a determined look on his face as he started to leave the lab.

"Wait, where are you going?" Don moved to follow, and Raph moved from the wall to go after them.

"I'm going to talk to our father, one of you get Mikey."

"Oh, so NOW it's cool to lose it?" Raph rolled his eyes as Leo kept moving.

"No, we're going to the dojo to TALK to dad." Leo looked back at Raph with a look. "We need to bring Mikey up to date, and ask dad about this fifth turtle."

"Leo, just wait a minute!" Raph growled, grabbing hold of his brother's arm as they neared the entrance. "Ain't ya forgettin' something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ya know exactly what I mean?" Raph gave his brother a look. "Ya really gonna ignore the fact that Karai had to know this and kept it from us? She ain't tell us everything."

"She told us what we asked for."

"So, one night with ya little girlfriend and ya back with ya head up her ass?" Raph roared in disbelief as he came face to face with his older brother.

"Not now, Raph..."

"Yes, now!" Raph looked at his brother, trying to understand the turtle in blue but his own anger gripped him. "We ain't just ya little soldiers to bark at and follow! So, tell what the hell is it? We just really ignorin' that fact?"

"For once can you just follow orders!"

"I ain't followin' shit when my leader lost his balls!"

"Really, Raph?"

Raph stared at his older brother wordlessly as he watched his brother release a huge breath looking back at him. He had no plans on ignoring that fact that he knew if it stood out to him, it was obvious to his strategic older brother

"Guys…" Don's tone was quiet, but Raph was solely focused on Leo. "Don't you think this isn't the time?"

"I don't know, Don, why don't you ask Raph?" Leo emphasized his name and Raph snorted.

"Soon as you ask Leo," Raph emphasized his name back, "Why he acting like a dumbass for Karai."

"Then we ask MIKEY why is so awesome!"

The sudden change had Raph's head snap from Leo to his youngest brother sporting a big grin and he quickly looked away as that image from when he caught Mikey and Irma came to mind. _Damn, I can't even look at him…_

"And that was for…?" Leo asked slowly, and Raph noticed Don's perplexed expression. It had caught them all off guard, but Raph was starting to see that it was normal for Mikey to do. He'd always in his own way catch them off guard in the middle of arguments or more, and though it annoyed Raph to no end, he was starting to understand the youngest turtle's methods.

At least Mad Hatter ain't with him…

"Everyone else got to have their names said, so…" Mikey laughed, and Raph rolled his eyes as he looked back to Leo, no longer feeling as on edge.

"So ya tellin us what got ya panties so much in a twist that ya won't look at the obvious?"

"I don't think that'll fit, Leo. He looks more like a pants guy. Doesn't he look more like a pants guys, D?"

"It's an expression Mikey" Don answered, and Raph could hear the purple masked turtle trying to hold back his laughter as he kept his eyes on the oldest turtle.

"Well?" Raph's brow ridge rose.

"I'm not ignoring that fact, I realize that she must know more than she let on."

"Knew what?"

"Based on the information I found, Karai had to have known more. Shredder had brought three turtles years ago, and during that time Karai was with him." Don answered Mikey. "An-"

"And dad lied." Raph ignored the looks Don and Leo threw him.

"He lied?"

"He didn't lie, Mikey. He just...never told us." Leo sighed, but Raph only glared. He couldn't deal with the fact that his dad never told them, and knowing that Karai withheld information made his blood start to boil all over again.

 _Then Leo invite that bitch over like she did nothin! Like she never tried to kill us!_

Splinter's real daughter or not, it was hard to just put all that behind him. She tried to kill him and his brothers on many occasions. _Even her help, ain't help!_ With a growl, he pushed past Leo to go inside but was stopped as his brother maneuvered back in front of him.

"You are NOT going in there like that!"

"Like what?" Raph yelled, giving his brother a look as though he grew a second head. "PISSED? MAD? UPSET? Are ya tryin' to say I don't got right to be?"

"I'm not saying that!" Leo yelled back. "You have every right to be mad. You think I'm not? You don't think Don's not? Mikey? But rushing in there isn-"

"Boys…What is going on?"

Leo's mouth went closed as Raph slowly turned to face his dad. It was easier to reign in his temper out of respect for Master Splinter as he tried to piece his words together, but as Karai stepped from behind his father, Raph was grinding his teeth as he forced himself not to snap.

"Master Splinter…" Leo bowed to their father as he looked over each of them.

"Yes?" Splinter asked in a calm tone that kept Raph's rage at bay, Raph was sure his father saw how close he was to losing it. He had always found his father's voice soothing when it was like this.

"Was it really only four of us, Sensei? Or was there one more?"

Raph could see the shock that covered his father's features as he let out a deep sigh and started to make his way inside the dojo as they gave him room to enter. They all slowly followed as Master Splinter kneeled at his spot and looked at them with a thoughtful expression. "Please…kneel my children."

Raph glanced over at his brothers, overlooking Karai purposely as he took his spot in front of his father and beside Leo.

"It was when I got you four wonderful boys" Splinter had a wistful smile as he spoke, and Raph could almost imagine it as his father continued. "There was a tank next to the one I got you four from. I asked the sales associate about it, and he told me that three of the female turtles were sold leaving the fourth alone. I thought of that one alone, and I couldn't leave it, so I purchased that one as well." he chuckled with an easy smile.

"WE HAVE ANOTHER SISTER!" Mikey screamed out.

"We ain't gotta sister, Mikey," Raph said quickly, and as his eyes caught Karai, he almost thought he saw a hurt look on her face.

"But what about Karai?"

"Let's just listen to the story, okay, Mikey?" Don gave their baby brother a smile as Leo gave Raph a look for what he said, but he ignored it. He refused to accept Karai as his sister, and part of him was a bit disturbed as he thought of the fact she was supposedly family, but it hadn't deterred Leo at all from his feelings for Karai.

"We are all family." Splinter gave Karai one of his reassuring smiles and looked at each of them with a sternness only he could accomplish. "Let's try to remember this."

Raph opened his mouth to rebuke that statement, the words on the tip of his tongue but as he saw the happiness on his dad's face, he decided against it. _Must be nice to have all his kids here…_

"But what happened to her?" Don spoke up as Master Splinter let out a sigh, his fingers stroking his beard.

"I bumped into a strange man after getting all of you. He seemed up to something, so I ended up following him. It turned out to be one of the Kraang. His friends and himself attacked me, and we ended up covered in mutagen, it wasn't until after the attack had happened and I scooped you all up from the ground that I noticed there were only four." Splinter frowned as his fingers stopped. "I made it through an opening of the sewer to look for her thinking she had washed away, but I could not find her."

"What happened to her?" Mikey asked.

"I do not know my son though I wish I did."

"I bet Kirai knows…" Raph glared at the girl on the end as she glared back at him.

"What?"

"Ya heard me," Raph growled. "Ya knew about them! Ya knew about the three turtles! Ya had to, cuz Shredder's the one that bought them! Ya probably knew about the fourth one too! You just kept shi-"

"Raphael!" Splinter interrupted, and Raph continued to glare as he went silent. "That is enough." He gave each of them a firm look, and his eyes stopped on Kari. "Miwa, is this true?"

At Splinter' quiet tone, Raph felt his anger grow that once again Karai was making things harder for them. It was becoming harder to stay silent, but he was surprised to see Karai bow her head.

 _She can't actually feel bad…can she?_ It confused Raph. He was used to Karai's confident nature, but now she looked vulnerable.

"I wanted to handle this myself…I wasn't trying to bring in anyone else." Karai breathed out, looking down. "Yes…it's true. I knew them…"

"Karai, why didn't you tell us?" Leo frowned, and Raph didn't miss the hurt in his brother's voice as Karai let out a bitter laugh.

"Simple…because they're my sisters."


	26. Can We Fight Already?

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT and all previous warnings apply.**

 **Sorry guys that this took so long.**

* * *

"Your…" Leo went speechless, but Raph could think of plenty of words to say to Karai as he moved to get up until his father gave him a look that made him freeze. He was trembling with anger, gritting his teeth to hold back from screaming all the things he wanted to say to her.

 _I knew it…She's probably working for them, the damn traitor._ Images of his brothers getting hurt and nearly killed filled his mind, becoming more graphic with each passing second.

"Uh, guys. I think Raph's about to blow…" Mikey backed away slightly from him as Raph took a deep breath, and his mind went to Casey wondering what his boyfriend might do in this instant. The thought of the vigilante made him smile without realizing.

"And now he's doing this creepy smile thing. I think he's sick! Are we going to catch it? What if it's a brain wor-"

SMACK!

"Ow!" Mikey rubbed his head as he glared at Raph as the red-masked turtle smirked, "You know I thought the whole getting Casey thing would make you nicer."

"Huh?" Raph blinked, "Wait…what…I…" Raph looked from one family member to the other.

"Who all knows?" He couldn't help but shout it as he heard a snort, and Karai gave a small roll of her eyes.

"That was supposed to be a secret?"

"I wasn't asking you! You're the queen of 'em!" Raph growled, watching Karai look not in the least bothered by his temper which only infuriated him more. "Better yet, maybe you can do us all a favor and take ya backstabbin' self far aw-"

"Raphael, enough!" Splinter's voice boomed along with the cane that hit the floor; he wasn't even sure when his father had started standing as he tried to calm himself.

"I just don't get why we gotta deal with bein' betrayed again."

"For your information, it wasn't like that." Karai nearly yelled, surprising everyone at her lack of composure. "If I can explain…" she gave Raphael a pointed look as he sent his own back at her, "Yes, I knew them, or…" She looked down, her shoulders slumping. "I thought I did."

"What do you mean?" Leo tilted his head, as Karai's hair fell forward as she bowed her head. Raph noticed her hands clench tightly. He knew the look of betrayal when he saw it, the kind that came from someone close.

"Depends on what you're asking?" She laughed, though it sounded bitter to Raph's ears and Splinter came closer kneeling beside her as a furry paw came to her shoulder.

"Whatever you're comfortable in telling." His voice was soft, concerned as Karai's head lifted, and her eyes met Master Splinter's. She fidgeted, looking away in a way that was so unlike her, it made Raph confused on what he truly knew about her.

Karai took another huge breath, and her eyes were on all of them, "We grew up together, the five of us. I don't remember exactly when they came in my life, but we were always together," She had a wistful smile until it turned at its corners, "besides from their checkups from that weird doctor at least."

"Weird doctor?"

Karai nodded to Don, "Yes, weird. Super weird. Every day Dr. Song would give them checkups, but I swear he never smiled and his eyes were always so…cold."

"Yeah, cuz Shredder must have been full of giggles." Raph rolled his eyes only to find a glare sent his way.

"My dad DID have good moments. You think I would follow that blindly if he were that horrible. I…" She trailed off, her eyes going to Splinter, "I mean, I know he isn't my real father but…"

"It's fine, I understand. Saki raised you. There was bound to be a bond there. I can't fault him for that much." Splinter gave a smile. "I also take it these good times did not last."

"No." Karai's voice was quiet. "Sometimes Dr. Song would whisper in his ear as we trained together, and then dad started to wonder out loud. Wondering if you had escaped. It was small changes at first. The training became harder, tougher, and he had less patience for mistakes…until the day our training together ended."

Raph snorted at the latest information as he let it run over in his head. "I take it that it wasn't for graduation."

"No, it was to announce that my sisters would be getting trained to be the elite guard someday."

"Elite guard?" Leo looked over at Karai, "We've never seen an elite guard."

"You wouldn't. The Elite was back home in Japan with my sisters training them, and if you would have met the guard way before now, you'd be dead."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Raph mumbled, feeling offended that Karai thought they could be easily defeated. "If you hadn't notice, we saved the world."

"And you also have a tough time with my father, last I check. Should I also remind you, that my father personally trained those four even more than me." She gave them each a look. "The Elite is nothing to sneeze at, as much as Shedder wanted to get rid of you, he clearly never thought he needed to go as far as the Elite to do it."

"The four ninja that were watching….that was them." Leo's voice was a whisper as Karai slowly nodded. "And these girls are really your sisters?"

"I'd know them anywhere. When I first saw you from a distance, Leo, I thought you might be one of them. But then I turned out to be wrong…"

"That's why you were so interested in me at first? You thought I knew something about your sisters?"

"Yes, but I'm glad I was wrong." Her tone turned coy and Leo's cheeks tinted in dark crimson that had Raph rolling his eyes as she gave her attention to all of them again. "And before you ask, no. I have no clue who they're working for. My best guess is my dad isn't as gone as everyone thinks, and he's making sure this time The Foot Clan is on top. Because they even messed up my own plans."

"But that's impossible! We defeated Shredder..." Leo stood suddenly, shaking his head. "There's no way…"

"Dudes, we find aliens. Dinosaurs. Secret power crystal thingies. The real Irma. Time travel and other crazy stuff but no one can believe in people coming back from the dead?" Mikey exclaimed. "Seriously?"

"Are we really back to the reanimation thing?" Don sighed, though Raph was starting to feel Mikey may be on to something. He didn't blame Don; his brother enjoyed facts even though their reality seemed to be getting constantly messed up.

 _What all can mutagen do…._ It was something that wouldn't leave his head, and he nearly missed Leo's question.

"But where does your other friend come in, with all of this?"

"After my sisters advanced training started, Shini and I met each other. It was an interesting introduction. I'll leave it at that."

The room was silent as everyone digested what they all just heard. Raph had no clue what they would do next though he hoped Leo did. He hated to say it out loud, but he knew where Leo's strength lay, and his own weakness did.

"What's the plan now, Fearless?" Raph looked over, noticing their father's quiet expression as he let Leo take the helm.

"Don, find out whatever you can about this, Dr. Song character and see if we can pinpoint where those girls' headquarters are. Karai, whatever extra info you can think of on these girls, we need to know. Like why are the Elite just watching."

"The only reason I can think, is maybe this is their test. They most likely have to take you out before my sisters are truly the Elite, but those weapons they're using aren't theirs along with those moves they copied off you guys.

"Then that means, you need to give them what they do not know. I believe it's time to advance more in your training."

"Advance more, Master Splinter?" Leo' eyes turned to their father.,

"Yes, I believe that would be the most helpful thing. Perhaps even trying to fight with each other's weapons again."

Raph's eyes widened at his father's suggestion as he thought back to the last time they tried that, his mind tried to picture just how long it may take as he shook his head. "But we don't have time to learn all that! Those chicks and the Elite goon squad are trying to make thing happen NOW. We don't have time to learn a few new tricks."

"We don't have a choice, Raph, because as it stands those girls know our moves on top of other moves."

"But…."

"Those few months they gave us to leave, we use to train and strike them first." Leo continued. "Going at them now is only going to end the same way it's been ending, Raph. Don, the sooner you can give us a place the better."

"We gonna be just trainin' for three whole months?" Raph's brow rose.

"Less actually. By that time they'd be looking for us. So, we patrol as usual but keep it low profile. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves or to look like we're planning anything. And if anyone sees something strange…" His eyes went to Raph, reminding him that his brother hadn't forgotten that he'd seen Irma first at the dumpster "It needs to be reported."

"I get it…" Raph gave his brother a long look, only for a clearing throat to interrupt their stare off as he looked over at his dad.

"We will start training tomorrow, so everyone should get a good night's rest. Once April comes over, I will inform her that she'll be joining our training. Maybe even Mr. Jones will be joining in to help the situation."

"April? Casey?" Raph repeated both names as he tried to picture the first day of practice tomorrow now that things were different. Now he was the one dating Casey, and from what he got from Don his brother had last rejected April.

 _Would tellin' Don to speed it up and talk to the chick before practice be wrong?_ He groaned at his imagination running wild now. "Is that a good idea? Maybe Casey should sit this one out?" Raph asked slowly earning an odd look from the whole room, and he couldn't blame them. Him thinking it's a bad idea to include Casey sounded odd to even him.

"I think it's best we all train together, especially knowing that usually both April and Casey go along with you all on these missions. You don't agree?"

"I…" He could feel everyone's stares, and from the look Don was giving him, his brother was ready to take him to the lab for a checkup. "It's cool." He sighed and felt a furry paw on his shoulder give a squeeze as it nudged him away from the group.

"Is something troubling you my son?"

"No!" Raph said quickly, but from the rise of his dad's brow, he knew it was too quick. He didn't regret getting with Casey, and he was going to talk to Mona about it _. It ain't my fault April and Don havin' problems getting' together..._ As much as he thought it to himself, he still couldn't help but feel bad for Don. _I told him to talk to the girl, that's something. Right?_

"You seem to be deep in your thoughts." Splinter chuckled, snapping him out of it as he looked at his dad.

"Just not sure about a lot lately…"

"Ah." Splinter nodded, moving closer to him as he squeezed Raph's shoulder in comfort. "Life gives us many hurdles. Challenges. Yet, it gives us those to fight beside us. "

"But what if you messed it up with them. Tell 'em the wrong thing…do the wrong thing." Raph couldn't help the question it all. "What if the one person you wanna say it all to, ya don't think ya can."

"That is a tough one because sometimes it may feel as though we have the world upon us and no way to release it. And the hurdles you think you crossed, only new oceans and mountain appear before you."

"So then…what do ya do?"

There is an old Japanese saying…" Splinter began as Raph waited for his dad's wisdom, and the older man smiled down at him. "Talk to your boyfriend."

"You too!?" Raph groaned, feeling sure that wasn't an old saying but knew his dad had a point.

His father chuckled, patting his shoulder as he made his way from Raph and over to Karai with the others. "Miwa…may I have a word with you?"

"Yes…" Kirai looked confused as she glanced at Leo who only gave a discreet shrug that Raph caught as he made his way back over as Karai followed their father out.

"What were you and Master Splinter talking about?" Leo looked over at him, and Raph shrugged, he didn't think him needing to get everything off his chest to Casey was something Leo needed to know.

"And since when you started dating Casey? Because aren't you already…." He asked next, and Raph could already tell what his brother was going to say next as he gave Leo a look.

"Yeah, I'm already with Mona, and I'm handling that. Don't we gotta better things to do than worry about who I date?" He gave a pointed look only to receive one back from his brother that told him that this conversation wasn't over though he continued speaking. "We should be talking about how if Shred head is alive, why not go after us himself."

"Are we humoring that?" Don asked.

"We can't rule it out, we've seen some strange things...especially when it comes to mutagen. Even Karai was looking for some or knowledge of it to help her against the girls when it came to her own plans. And Raph has a point," Leo started to pace. "He hasn't come after us yet himself. Unless…"

"What if he's resting up or something?" Mikey questioned.

"But then who gave the okay for the Elite an' the Turtle Girls."

"Can't we give them a better name? Oh, how about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" Mikey grinned. "See what I did there?"

"How about no?" Don gave Mikey a look to drop it.

"Rahzar wouldn't be a far-off choice. He isn't our biggest fan, and he'd love to stay in his master's good graces…"

"So…you're thinkin' wolf boy decides to try and get his master better, sends for help in Japan to make sure we ain't a problem this time?" Raph thought over that as he tried to follow his brother's train of thought.

"It makes the most sense, but I don't think he's the one who had the idea to use the girls. The Elite yes, but not the girls. Because why put it in the hands of someone he doesn't know anything about."

"And the why is?" Mikey scratched his head and looked at Leo for the answer.

"Because the girls are Dr. Song's thing. He's trying to gain something, and he's using Rahzar to do it. Because if it fails, it'll look like it's all Rahzar's idea."

"Whoa…." Mikey blinked as he made an explosion gesture from his head. "Mind blown, but wait maybe the Mutanimals can help?"

Leo shook his head, "I rather not involve them unless we have to."

"Let me get to the lab so I can get to work."

"Make sure you get some rest!" Raph yelled after Don and saw the look his remaining brothers were giving him. "What?"

"Just seems like you and Don have been closer lately, it's a good thing." Leo smiled only for Raph to cross his arms, grunting as his cheeks heated up.

"Whatever."

"I'm going to get some rest myself. You two need to do the same." Leo gave them both a last look and made his way to his own room. "Remember training in the morning!"

"We get it!" Raph rolled his eyes, moving quickly as he realized now he was alone with Mikey, and the image of his little brother and Irma came fresh again. He was getting closer to his room until an arm shot out grabbing him, reminding him that his baby brother was the fastest of all of them.

"Bro?"

 _Maybe if I snatch away quick and slip in my room, I can play this off._

"Mikey?" Suddenly extra weight was on him, and he started to struggle. He looked at his brother hugging him as though he had a second head. "What are ya doing?"

"Did I do something?" The question came out quieter than Raph liked from the blue-eyed turtle, and he stopped his movements.

"Nah, course not. But don't ya need to go to ya room…" He was now unsure how to handle this without an image popping up again in his mind. He didn't want Mikey to cry, but he was less ready than he thought to handle his baby brother doing something like that. "Mikey…"

"It's gotta be something. You won't even look at me?" Mikey looked up, pouting and Raph sighed feeling horrible and at the same time irritated since he didn't want to have this conversation.

"Ya didn't do nothin' so just go. Aight?"

"Was it something I said?"

"Mikey…"

"I haven't been in your room…"

"Mikey, get off!"

"And the siracha and gummy worm with peanut butter pizza pancakes I made for breakfast was amazing! Admit it!" Mikey started to glare, but Raph only snorted at what he still thought was a questionable combination.

"Is it...me and Irma?"

The question made his annoyance disappear as the image popped up, unwilling to leave him alone. His eyes went to his room again; he knew he could slip away. Mikey was fast, but he was stronger than his baby brother. It would be easy to pull him off, but one look at the youngest turtle had him decide against it He was the big brother. He needed to look out for his brothers.

 _Even if its Mikey doing THAT…_

"Bro…" Raph tried to get his words out and took another breath. "I'm guessin' you and Irma had a good talk?"

"Yep!" Mikey was all grins as he pulled gum out his pocket and put it in his mouth. Raph had noticed Mikey was starting to store all kinds of stuff in there, especially candy. _Because that's all we needed. A more hyper Mikey…_

"And was that…ya'll makin up?" he could feel his cheeks starting to heat up as he rubbed the back of his neck, but Mikey looked at him confused.

"Was what?"

Raph groaned inwardly as he wished for an easier way to do this. "When I saw you guys…"

"Oh! You mean the tickle war?"

"Tickle war?"

"Yeah. Irma was winning, but I was letting her since she felt bad about before. I tried telling her that she's like the best slice of pizza. Ya know the kind wi-"

"Wait...wait!" Raph held up a hand. "Tickle war?" He was stuck on that bit of information as he watched Mikey's head tilt.

"Yeah. Why?" Mikey continued to look at Raph. "What did you think we were doing?"

"I…nothin'." Raph shook his head and rubbed his temples. "Where's Irma anyway?"

"In the kitchen, she said she was making something called matzo ball soup for us to try."

"Uh huh...good night, Mikey." Raph shook his head deciding he was done for the night as he went to his room.

"Raph, you think matzo balls have pizza in them?"

"No clue, little bro…" Raph shut his door behind him and fell into the bed though he couldn't help but look towards Casey's side of the bed with a deeper need.

 _Wait…his side of the bed? When did I start thinking like that?_ He decided to push the question away for now, as he forced his eyes closed. The image of the kitchen came to mind, and he prayed Irma wasn't as inventive as Mikey when it came to cooking.


	27. The Chapter of Silence

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT and all previous warnings apply.**

* * *

Raph felt warmth around him as he woke up from a great sleep, and familiar arms held him tighter against a hard body. He nuzzled against the chest without a thought, not wanting to get out of this peaceful moment until alarms went off in his head as he shoved the other person out his bed.

"Casey!"

"Damn it, Raph!" The dark-haired teen groaned as Raph looked over the side as he watched him rubbing the spot where he landed. "We really gotta talk about this abuse thing." He smirked at him, but Raph was too busy glaring at his boyfriend.

"When and how the hell you even got in here?"

"I walked and Don." He slowly moved to get up and got back into the side of the bed Raph had earlier dubbed as his. "And maybe I'm just getting better at this sneaking thing."

"Maybe." Raph couldn't help but feel a bit proud. "Still, why ya here and not home sleeping?

"Couldn't…"

He mumbled it so soft, Raph barely heard it as he thought back to his earlier issue as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, what ya waitin' for. Get back in already." It came out gruffer than he wanted, but his cheeks had started to heat up as he laid back in the bed and felt Casey move back against him. It was a position that a while ago, he'd never thought he'd be in as he listened to Casey's breaths and was tucked close against the other teen trying not to let his imagination run.

"Case?"

"Yeah?"

He slowly turned around, letting dark eyes meet his own. "I'm scared…" He quickly ignored the surprise in Casey's eyes at his admission as he continued. "I'm scared this whole thing with us gonna end up badly."

"So ya having second thoughts?" Casey tried to come off nonchalant, but Raph caught that pained look in his boyfriend's eyes as he quickly shook his head. He knew anger would quickly replace it.

"No! Maybe? It's…" He could already see the fire lighting in Casey's eyes as he scrambled over the right words to use. "Just let me finish aight before ya blow ya top." He gave a worried look, watching as Casey slowly released a breath.

"Aight, I'm listening…"

"We gonna start new training today and dad wants you and April included...but I can't help but think about April. I mean, what if Don and her ain't together, then she sees we good. I gave him advice but still. I ain't even called Mona yet, cuz I got no clue how to handle that one cuz her not being her ain't her fault. Then this whole turtle chick thing…" His eyes fell to Chompy in his tank as he shifted to give the little guy some food. "Like hell I'm runnin' from a fight, ever." His finger rubbed below Chompy's beak as the small space turtle gave a cute sound.

"And to think you was complaining a while back about being bored," Casey smirked as Raph looked back at him to flip him off. "But I get wat the problem is…"

"What?"

"Stop taking on every damn thing and thinking it's all on you. Ya gave Don advice. It's his business if he follows it or not."

"But he's been through a lot! That's the part ya don't get. The part where I'm scared he's overworking himself again, and doing this over April and using caffeine like it's his best friend! Or the part where Leo decides he wanna be the I in team and do crazy shit, and we all gotta put him together again. Or the part where Mikey is datin' a chick who crazy enough to cut his damn throat when she freaks out! And what if we don't work out? What then?" Raph breathed out, letting his thoughts run away. "You got options, Case! I don't!"

He started to pace and opened his mouth to say more, only to end up in Casey's lap with his boyfriend's mouth on his, and his fingers digging into his scalp enough to make his hips jerk against the other teen as a shiver ran through him.

"Case?" It came out a near whimper as he felt lips go to his neck next, sucking there as though the other teen was trying to mark him. His body trembled and shook, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his head on straight as Casey's mouth brushed against his ear hole to whisper.

"I listened…now you listen." He bit close to the spot, and Raph was sure his brain would soon be mush. "Ya can't save everyone. Much as I love that about you, you can't. You always do the best ya can, everyone does. And with everything happening, especially when ya don't know how it's gonna turn out. I understand ya scared."

"I ain-"

"I am too." Raph blinked, going still as he pulled away and let his eyes stay captured in Casey's dark ones as he continued. "You my best friend, first one to get me…really get me. I don't wanna lose that. We'll get to the Mona thing. I trust you to take care of it. Just know, through all this shit, you got me. Always." His head lay against Raph's as their foreheads touched.

"So, no complainin' during advanced training?" Raph smirked.

"Now ya pushin' it." Casey's chuckled as he suddenly moved, rolling Raph under him and he tried to ignore the effect it had on him as he tried to focus on the words Casey was saying. "Tell ya what, whoever pins who has to do what da other wants.

"Jones, if ya wanna do what I want that badly. All ya gotta do is ask."

"So, it's a bet?" Casey's eyes were sparkling with mischief that had Raph squinting his eyes at the other teen.

"What are ya up to?" His brow ridge rose as Casey moved off him, and he ignored the needy feeling that rushed through him at the lost contact.

"Why? Scared? Casey's grin only got wider as Raph scoffed at him, refusing to lose to anyone including his boyfriend. "So, deal?"

"Yep." He felt more than ready as he got up, and Casey started to circle him in the small space of his room. Raph quickly looked for an opening as he lunged at the teen, his arms shooting out to grapple Casey as both grunted, trying to shift the other's weight.

He growled, gaining more leverage as he moved to flip the teen only to be caught by surprise by a kiss that sent his mind reeling. That contact he missed was back, heating his body in that way he loved as Casey grinded against him, and Raph couldn't form a coherent thought as his hips jerked up, unable to hold back. Their tongues battled, and he gasped as that mouth left his and attacked his neck biting down hard enough to mark him.

Fingers were down his sides to his thighs as nails dug into his skin, making his back arched trying to get friction where he needed it as he whimpered under the other teen. Nothing seemed enough as his hips kept moving, and he barely could hold back from his reveal as Casey's hips moved to meet his.

"More!" He cried out, unable to stop it as that tight feeling down below became too much, and suddenly there was nothing to keep Casey from seeing him as his body trembled at the sudden feel of air against him as he felt Casey lift slightly, shifting his mouth to his ear again.

"Looks like I wi-Woah…" He was completely off now, and Raph felt like ice was dumped on him as the fog lifted and he could see Casey's wide eyes as they stayed stuck down below. "You…."

Raph growled, shoving the teen off as his cheeks burned and his heart thumped against his chest, he wanted to do nothing but get out of there as his issue receded in his body. He could hear the shouts, and calls for his names as he ran out of there, unwilling to hear it as Casey's shocked expression was etched in his brain.

He kept running, unwilling to stop as he ran as he heard the sloshing steps behind him and quickly turned one corner and then the next until he found the ladder, climbing up quickly. Another scream of his name had him pushing himself faster; his lungs burned as he pushed himself beyond his limits and rushed his way up to the top of buildings unwilling to stop even as his legs started to ache. He lost track of time, and hours that passed, making a misstep as one ledge had him falling on his face at the roof he leaped to.

Raph didn't even feel the frigid air as he pushed himself up, a finger touching his eyes as he felt the wet spots on his cheeks and he slid down against the back of a billboard. He brought his knees to his chest as he fought the urge to hide in his shell. "Damn it…" he clenched his eyes tight, not wanting more tears to fall. "Good job Raph, now he really knows ya a freak…."

The sounds around him finally caught up to him and realization at the time hit him as he saw the sun and blue sky above him. The only thing shielding him truly now was the billboard, and he could already hear the lecture about him going out alone during the day. He wiped the back of his hand against his eyes, as the other felt for his gear and he instantly growled at himself as he came up with nothing.

"Just great…" He sighed, letting his head hit back against the billboard as he went through his choices and he could already hear Leo screaming at him about the risk especially with those girls around.

"My readings picked up something going this way…" Came a voice that sent Raph further to hide in the shadows as he looked towards them. He could see each girl from his spot, as he became annoyed with himself

 _Speak of the devil…_

"Are you sure, Talena?" Venus moved towards her purple masked sister as he saw the girl pull up a projection from her watch, which reminded him of Don. It wouldn't be long before they knew he was here, and if he moved from his hiding spot, they'd know even sooner.

"Just let me scan for heat signatures and cross reference it with what I know. I'm pretty sure it's those turtles based on what we know."

 _Or even sooner than that…_

"I was hoping they'd take my warning…" Venus sighed. "Change of plans then and hurry, Talena. I don't like us out in the open like this."

"Why are we listening to that four-eyed freak anyway?" Larota was practically yelling, and Venus glared at her.

"Don't talk about Dr. Song like that, and we don't exactly have a choice. We fail, and when the Shredder wakes up, it won't just be falling on Rahzar but us too when Dr. Song gets his hands on us. And with the Elite watching our every move, we can only do so much before we have to kill those turtles."

"But…" Amoly pouted, stopping from using her chain as a jump rope on the ledge. "If they're dead, we can't play with them anymore. I don't wanna kill them."

"I know, Amoly but…" Venus sighed, and as Raph saw the different things show up on Talena's watch. He realized he was out of time and refused to hide more and let them get the first hit.

 _If I go down. I'm goin' down fighting_. Raph rushed out and ignored the gasp as he charged at the girls. He wasn't sure who he hit first, landing a hit on one as the others scattered. He didn't bother to focus on the who, as he attacked.

"You're dumber than I thought! Venus, it is one of them!" Larota yelled out, and Raph narrowly missed the hit of chains and the giggle that followed. One attack came as soon as another ended as Raph did his best to take on the four girls, and he ended up on his shell more than he liked.

He was more than glad when he got a clear shot at Larota, sending the girl careening into Venus and making them both land against the billboard. He smirked, readying himself once again until chains came out, grabbing his arms and he immediately missed his sai as he growled back at Amoly.

"Good work, Amoly." Venus sent her a smile as Raph struggled until he flipped trying to get himself free, only to be sent back to the ground hard. "Please don't make this harder." Venus's tone was sad as she readied one of her fan katana, and Raph could see it gleam in the sunlight and she mouthed a sorry as she raised it.

He refused to look away as he saw her move, looking directly in her eyes as it came down and the sound of a clang caught him in surprise as the katana went spinning away.

"What the…?" He didn't have long to wonder, as the sight of Karai became apartment as she flipped in front of him and he felt slack in the chains as he moved, hearing a sharp cry of pain as he sent Amoly into a near wall of the taller building attached to this one. "What are ya doin' here?"

"I was passing by and saw you getting beat up by a bunch of girls. You're lucky it's me and not Leo."

"Screw you, Karai." He glared at her, readying himself. He had no plans of depending on Karai, even if she had just saved him. He watched the girls ready themselves again as they surrounded him and Karai, but he could see the hesitation in their eyes now.

"Venus…" Amoly's voice was softer, more serious than usual as she looked at the serpent ninja and Karai stayed silent though Raph swore he saw a look pass over her.

"Let's go" Venus sheathed her katana as her sisters went to follow.

"Venus!" The yell had surprised Raph as he glanced over at Karai, wondering what she was up to as Venus paused, and she gave a nod to her sisters as they continued without her. "I suggest whatever you think you're doin-"

"Before you ask, you know we can't stop. The Shredder will rise again, and this city will burn. And your attempts to claim the foot as your own to change it is futile. So, I suggest you stop, along with your friends." Venus's voice had grown quiet, and Raph saw her fists clench as she bowed her head. "Or it won't just be us taking out your minions and destroying a few files. It'll be you, and this will be the last we meet as sisters."

Silence won over as Venus looked back at them, and soon took off after her sisters leaving Raph to look over at Karai. He wasn't sure what to say to her, especially after that. He saw the slight slump of her shoulders and her face had lost its usual confidence.

"Karai? Uh…"

"Let's go, before they get back. We have no clue when they may strike now. I'm sure they're changing their plans. " Karai's change back to her usual self was near instant as she bought a hand to her hip and looked back at him. "Are you coming? Or being saved by a girl is too much to process?" She smirked and started moving with Raph glaring after her as he followed her back.

It wasn't long until he was back, and he had lost sight of Karai. He wasn't sure if he was lucky or not, with none of his brothers around to meet him though he was glad he couldn't find Casey in the lair as he looked around.

 _Probably still looking for me…._ He took a deep breath, going into his room and picking up his gear from the floor, taking a good guess why he had nothing on as his cheeks heated up. His phone had a ton of missed phone calls from his boyfriend and messages that begged to know where he was, but he couldn't bring himself to answer as he closed the door of his room and locked it.

He barely got any sleep before practice officially started as he tossed and turned, and he was surprised his phone wasn't ringing nonstop until remembering that for now on he had practice with Casey. It was hard to avoid the other teen as he tried to not pair up with him, which had everyone staring at him and he ignored the odd looks.

He was almost thankful that things seemed just as odd for April and Don, as she looked downcast and forlorn in a way that had Don frowning in her direction. She'd stay to herself and Raph wasn't sure if pushing Don more would be the best idea or not as they learned new moves.

The awkwardness soon was too much; their movements were all off to the point where Leo's frustration was apparent, and even Mikey was groaning.

"Maybe a break is in order." Splinter sighed as Raph kept a far distance from Casey as he avoided looking in his direction. "Where's Miwa?"

"She said she wants to train alone…" Leo spoke up. "She's been strange all day like she's hiding something. At that Raph stiffened having a good clue why as he folded his arms against himself.

"That is odd…maybe I can find her. All of you take a break in the meantime, but next practice we should try to be ready. And hopefully more in tune with one another." Splinter gave each of them a look as he made his way out, as Leo turned to look at each of them.

"Master Splinter is right. If we can't work together, we'll be even worse off. And Karai being more secretive than usual is the last thing we needed."

"We might have saw the girls earlier…."

"What?" His brothers yelled out, but Casey was oddly silent with April in a corner.

All his brothers stared at him, leaving him to explain what happened earlier as he took out the parts where Venus had denounced Karai as her sister and his reasons for being there. He could already see Leo's eye twitch, and he knew his brother was barely holding back.

"You're telling me, you decided it would be a great idea to go out in broad daylight and risk the entire plan. So now we have no clue when they'll strike and even less time to get ready? Do you ever even think?" Leo was starting to yell, and Raph's eyes narrowed at his older brother.

"Ya say that like I knew they was gonna be in the same spot!"

"I told you to NOT bring attention to yourself just yesterday! You always do this where you do things without thinking! And every time I think you may finally get it in your head that you need to follow the rules and your family comes first, you don't bother."

"That's rich comin' from the guy who invites our enemy to our house just cuz he wants to bone her, but when he needs to make a point, suddenly she's family and our sister again! And you wanna talk about me doing stuff without thinking? You got ya own list where we gotta be the ones to watch you almost die all the time!"

"Guys?"

"Not now, Don." Leo eyed him as Raph came closer, "Raph's busy forgetting his own screw-ups."

"Keep tellin yaself that when ya little girlfriend betrays us AGAIN! Should we just go ahead and fuck ourselves ova now since we know it's comin'?"

"Says the guy whose girlfriend sold us to the highest bidder!" Leo's fists were clenching, and Raph saw a look in his brother's eyes he never saw before.

"Have ya forgot all the times she's tried to kill us, Leo?"

"I haven't, but thanks for letting us know Mona gets a freebie. Should we watch out for what Casey does next since when it comes to family, whoever gives poor Raph attention clearly takes precedence!"

"Leo, that's eno-"

Raph shoved Leo, not even hearing Casey as his boyfriend tried to interrupt them "What the hell that's supposed to mean? You're no better with Karai!"

""At least I know Kirai, and I'm not so damn desperate for love I lose my damn mind over the first girl to give me some attention after a punch to the head!" Leo yelled back, and his eyes immediately widened as his hands went to his mouth. "I...I didn't…" Leo came closer, but Raph backed away from him even as his brother kept apologizing. "Raph, I'm sorry…"

"Don't bother." He turned, going to his room as those words stung him repeatedly. He could hear the footfalls behind him but locked and closed the door quickly, getting in his bed as he let the pillow go over his head to block out the sounds of knocks on his door.

Time passed slowly until the knocks stopped, his phone was silent, and as he lifted his head back from the pillow his eyes lay on Chompy coming close to him. There was a nudge to his arm as he rubbed under Chompy's beak with a sigh, until he laid down, allowing time to pass him by.

The weeks that followed were more than awkward, and they were out of sync more than before with Raph not talking to Leo. Don couldn't find exactly where the girls were, and at every turn, information about Dr. Song would lead to a dead end. Everyone was on edge, worried about the moment the girls may decide to strike, and the Shredder might show up.

Casey would no longer join them on patrols, and Raph was in a messed up cycle of wanting to see him or avoiding his boyfriend. All the issues they were having between them was making patrolling harder, and the arguments grew worse everytime one sparked.

Tonight's had been between April and Don featured Mikey and Irma, and Raph hated to admit he was just as envious of his little brother's happiness.

Mikey had mentioned wanting to try a real date with the girl, and Don had snapped on their baby brother about worrying more about a date than what was going on. April joined in to defend Mikey until the whole thing blew out further and Mikey screamed he was done with all of them. They all immediately went home, and the silence in the lair was deafening as they each went their separate ways, and Raph laid in his bed.

He was finding it harder to sleep, and Raph couldn't get his mind to stay focused no matter what he tried. His thoughts would go to Casey, and how much he missed him to Leo, and his heart would hurt. And once again, he was lying awake, staring at the ceiling as his mind went in many directions.

No matter how he turned and moved, he couldn't find peace and gave up on it as he left his room. Raph could see the light from the lab as he came out. His worries about Don returned full force as he heard the hush voices of Mikey and Irma from his youngest brother's room, and the sounds of a punching bag caught his ear.

He followed the sound of the punching bag until he was in the dojo and saw Karai as she unleashed a punch that echoed through the room. He was frozen in place as he watched her fight and couldn't ignore what he saw. To anyone else it was practice, but Raph saw the pain in each punch. The rage in each kick. The fear before each move.

 _It's like watchin'…me._

She kept it up, without missing a beat until she was leaning and breathing hard against the punching bag and he spotted the sheen on her face that he was sure was more than sweat. Her hands went to her eyes, rubbing as she sunk to the floor, holding herself.

"I'm alone again…" It was a broken whisper, and Raph knew he could leave out now, he owed Karai nothing, and he thought to all the times she'd been a thorn in their side. Then he thought of his brothers and how it must feel along with his own feelings of knowing betrayal. Before he knew it, his feet were moving towards Karai, but he had no plan on what to do once he got to her.

Quietly made his way over, sitting down with her and he wondered if she even knew he was here as he felt her shaking. He moved slightly against her as the words left his lips.

"Hey…"

Her body stiffened as she quietly spoke, "If you're here to yell at me …" Her coy and suave tone was absent, the mask was torn, and he knew he could break her now.

"Nah…" He shifted slightly, looking at the tree in the dojo as they both sat there. "Tell me about em…" He felt her stiffen again, and he wondered if he pushed too much until he felt her relax and her eyes were to the floor.

"When I was five...Venus showed me how to high three" Her voice didn't carry that same wistfulness from earlier, only sadness. "And one time when I lost a spar session, and I was scared of disappointing my dad, Larota always made me promise not to get too sad because we'd get those losers later."

"Ain't surprised…" He could imagine a young Larota with an attitude and started to wonder if Venus was as much as a dork as Leo.

"I wasn't allowed sweets, but Amoly would sneak me some and Venus always pretended not to see." She laughed until it became a full guffaw. "Oh, and this one time kicked so hard that Talena's bo staff broke. It was hilarious, and I felt so horrible about the whole thing that I tried to find a twig to replace it." She continued to laugh more, shaking her head at the distant memory and Raph felt a smile watching her.

"She said with me around she needed one made of metal." She laughed more until soon it was weak, and bitter as she quietly added. "Looks like she got one."

"Yeah…"

"They always listened, you know?" She sighed, looking at the same tree and Raph understood as thoughts of Spike came flooding back. First the image of Spike then it was Slash, and now he had Casey after trying with Mona, but now he was avoiding Casey so where did that leave him. Chompy was amazing to him, but he kept thinking back to Slash and his mutation from Spike. Would talking to him end the same? And Mona betrayed him, he knew Leo had a point, and it hurt.

"Tell me about them?"

Hearing his own words back at him, he looked back staring at her, wondering just how obvious it was. Karai was more like him than he knew, it was a scary realization as he licked his lips and the words tumbled out.

"His name was Spike. Mikey found him, but he wouldn't leave me alone. So, I just kept him...told him everything then the stupid mutagen changed everything. And now he's Slash…"

"That giant turtle?"

"Yep…" he mumbled until deciding to keep going as he told Karai about Mona and her betrayal, then let it slip why he was out that day on the roof. His shoulders sagged, and he felt her eyes on him but was surprised as he felt her close relaxing against him.

It stayed silent, no one talking as they both just stayed in each other's presence as a thought came to him. He knew he messed up, but maybe he could fix it.

"Look I know ya wanna protect them and after what happened you don't wanna make the relationship between you guys worse." He thought to how he didn't want to see what was in front of him with Slash, even with the clues there in front of him. Same as how he was too scared to let Mona go, even after her betrayal.

"Sis…" She stared at him now. "If you know anythin to help, then help. I get it, they family. But we're ya family too, and you already know Splinter in control of this city is nothing we need. He ain't gonna stop at here, and you know it."

He watched her carefully, and her eyes closed. "Raph…I…" He watched her as he saw her pull out a picture from his outfit, and he saw a young Karai with pigtails huddled together making silly faces with small turtle girls. She chewed on her lip, pocketing the picture back and heard a long exhale. "Venus uses a specialized Tessen, it fans out, and Lara isn't the best on the sai. She can't fight long on her own, which is why she keeps pulling power moves to push people back to give herself time to land another. Her weapon is really the kurigasama, and you've seen what Amoly can do with her manriki, she prefers a distance, and she's not a serious fighter."

"And the doctor?"

"Before I left, Mr. Song was trying to push to have them go with me, but dad refused since he didn't think you all were that large of a problem. And though my dad was losing, his pride is large, he doesn't want to admit he was wrong and so asking someone like Dr. Song to bring the girl after wasn't something he wanted to do."

"What do ya mean someone like Dr. Song?" Raph looked at her as she stood, and paced slowly. He thought back to that fly of the Shredder, but from how Karai was acting. He got a less hilarious vibe.

"Tell Don to look up the Renaissance project. Dr. Nagisa Song makes Dr. Stockman look like a plaything in any form, mentally and physically. He always called them kappa, instead of turtles. He wanted monsters…"

"Now he sounds like a mad scientist…"

"Yeah," She looked away, making her way out the dojo as he thought to himself and quickly stood.

"Yo, Karai?"

"Yes?" she looked back at him and tilted her head.

"How about a real target?" He smirked making his way over to the punching bag. "Or ya only good at hittin' shit that don't hit back?"

"Is that a challenge?" she narrowed her eyes playfully as she went over.

"Yep" He chuckled as he readied his himself, and looked at her, not feeling a hit yet. "Change ya mind?"

"No, but I hope you change yours about talking to Casey. He was your best friend before all this mess, and those are all still your brothers. Leo included." She gave him a look as he looked away a moment, "So maybe you all should talk, but no pressure." She smirked a bit. "Okay…little brother?"

"Yeah, no pressure." He looked back smirking as the first punch came.


	28. Hoes before Garden Tools

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT and all previous warnings apply. Please enjoy the chapter.**

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Raph rolled his shoulders, feeling the aches and pains from his and Karai's session. It had gone better than he could have imagined for him and Karai, he still had a few lingering doubts, but he finally felt like he could one day forgive her completely. Once in his room, he fell on the bed face first as he reminded himself he still had morning practice to get to as exhaustion caught up with him.

He didn't bother threatening Kirai to not tell everyone about last night. He couldn't see her blabbing about what had happened between them and their new-found friendship of sorts.

 _Sister..._ The word had slipped out without a thought, though he realized he meant it and his thoughts went to her advice. He knew she was right, with the way they were now, they wouldn't be able to handle a villain called Banana Man at the size of a banana. Raph knew as much as Leo had a point, he hated admitting it, especially with this when his family was the one thing he always wanted to protect. Was there even a right choice in that situation?

His head was full of thoughts as the phone rang, and he looked over at his nightstand seeing Casey's name light up the screen. He reached over, hand hovering over the phone, thinking back to how avoidance never worked well and tiptoeing around each other was driving them all nuts.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone, trying to keep his voice its usual nonchalant, "Sup?"

"Bout time." Casey snorted. "This is gettin' old, don't ya think?"

"Yeah, is." He breathed out, unable to deny that it was all getting to a level of stupid he didn't want to cross.

"I'm comin' ova, aight?"

"Aight." His phone hung up as Casey's did, and Raph got up from the bed, looking into a mirror at himself suddenly feeling self-conscious as he thought of ways to make up with his boyfriend. Lifting an arm, he smelled his pits quickly until remembering he didn't sweat and felt dumb for the moment as he went to take a shower anyway.

Making his way to the bathroom, he could hear whining from the lab.

"D! Please, can I hold Mecha? I just wanna show Irma."

"Don't touch it, Mikey!"

"Ooo, what does this do?"

"MIKEY! NO!"

At the sound of an explosion, and a loud groan Raph quickly realized Don had let Mikey in the lab and they made up. He wondered how long that would last with Mikey and buttons involved. Deciding to leave them to it, he went into the bathroom, staying under the shower as he let the water hit all the right spots on him to soothe his muscles. He looked downwards at himself and bit his lip, as his hand went lower as his breathing got heavier.

 _What the hell am I doin'? Casey is coming now…_ He facepalmed at his own inner innuendo, groaning as a need started to burn inside him at what he wasn't finishing as he quickly got out the shower.

What do I say to him? He still remembered how he left, and the reason. His main reason for avoiding the other teen was there; he didn't want the next time he sees him to be the last. _But can't keep runnin' either…_ He missed Casey and hoped something would come to him on what to do when the bonehead got there.

Raph was hoping for an epiphany to happen, but nothing came to mind, as he reached for his toothbrush scowling. He felt something wet before he even moved to get started to brush his teen and brought the toothbrush up eye level as he started to growl.

"Mikey!" He came storming out the bathroom and banged on the lab door, "I know ya in there! What did ya do with my toothbrush!" He placed an ear to the door and could hear scuffling as he imagined his baby brother hiding.

"Mikey isn't here!"

"Mikey, did you really do a prank with Raph's toothbrush?" Don spoke up, and Raph could barely hear Mikey as his voice slightly squeaked.

"No! I just…was singing with it and accidentally dropped it. In the toilet."

"The toilet?" Raph yelled as he grabbed the doorknob, finding it locked. "Let me in!"

"No fighting in my lab! Go cool off!"

Raph huffed, kicking the door out of annoyance as he left the door to go to his room to look for an extra toothbrush. He heard his door open as he found the toothbrush, and went ahead and grabbed a pair of shorts Casey gave him to put on as his nerves got to him.

"Mikey, unless ya come in here to apologi-" Raph's words were caught as he stared at his boyfriend. "Casey? Wait… I ain't dressed, bonehead!"

"Ain't dressed?" Casey repeated it as though he grown a second head. "Pretty sure I've seen ya without pants before. But ya kinda have a point. Ya is sexy in my clothes. "Casey started to grin and pointed to the pair of shorts.

Raph's cheeks started to heat up as he glanced at the pair of shorts in his hands and slugged Casey in the arm with his free hand. "Did ya come just to be a damn perv?"

"Nah, I came cuz…" Casey moved towards him, and Raph stiffened automatically, as Casey let out a deep sigh. "Shit like that. Ever since we…got a bit farther, ya been treating me like I got the plague. What gives?"

"Case…" Raph rubbed his arm and dropped the shorts on the bed as he sat down. "I'm a turtle."

"Really? I never knew… thanks, fo' telling me that."

"I'm serious! Look…what I'm tryin to say is…" Raph took another deep breath. "Down there…I'm…I mean…When I come out…What ya saw…damn it." He groaned, ignoring the chuckle he heard from the other teen until lips captured his and he was looking at Casey.

"I get it. You definitely ain't like me down there…" Casey smirked, but Raph only felt the urge to hide. "Dude, if anything, I'm jealous."

"Wait...what?" Raph stared at Casey as he was suddenly pinned again, and he remembered this from before.

"Jealous. Envious. Damn, my turtle boyfriend is packin' more than me, and now I feel like I need to compensate for somethin. Pick one." Casey chuckled, and Raph felt at a loss for words, and he watched as Casey's face turned serious. "I shoulda reacted betta or explained quicker, but ya gotta give me a break. Yo shit looks like it belongs onna horse."

"Case!" He was sure he matched the color of his mask now, even as relief spread through him and he thought over the rest that needed to be said. "I need to tell ya somethin…"

"It's already ribbed fo' my pleasu-Ow!" He laughed, rubbing an arm Raph hit after wrestling it free.

"You a perv, ya know that?"

"Ya like it."

"That's questionable," Raph smirked and moved his fingers through Casey's hair as the urge to touch it came. He watched as those dark eyes closed, and Casey leaned into it, making Raph smirk a bit as he was reminded of a cat. "I gotta tell ya the rest…" His fingers stopped as Casey's eyes slowly opened.

"What's up?"

"I was scared you was gonna break up with me." He saw Casey's mouth open, and he gave a look to let him finish. "Mona's all of on some other distant planet I never had to think of the physical part…much. And from what I read, I wouldn't have to anyway since they…" He saw Casey's head tilted. "Nevermind." _Going into newt sex-ed about my future ex to my boyfriend, not a great idea…_

"So…?" Casey's brow rose.

"Just I never had to think about it, and with you…I just…ya make me go crazy sometimes. And I can't think, I don't wanna think, and the shit I DO manage to think…it's…" He tried to come up with the exact words. "I guess…"

"I get it. This new, we new…and I guess if I gotta keep beating it in ya head that I'm here for the long run. I'll do it. One day maybe we can even…live together. Me, you and Izzy…" Raph's eyes got wide, and Casey rubbed the back of his neck as he started to stutter over his words. "I ain't saying now, not now…just maybe one day and…um…"

Raph chuckled, "I get it. Now get the hell out so I can get dressed. We got training in a little bit, and if you peek, I'm kickin' ya ass."

"Tsundere." Casey snickered as he got up. "By the way, I bought ya some pants and hoodies, especially if ya decide to run out in daylight again."

Casey passed him over a bag, and Raph looked inside feeling guilty over avoiding his boyfriend. Casey had been thinking of him, and he had been feeling sorry for himself. Raph looked up at the gap-tooth grin and gave a rare smile back, "Thanks…"

"Aww, Raphie, anythin' for you" Casey purred, effectively killing the moment as Raph moved to push the other teen out.

"Just stay out here! I'm comin'." Raph closed the door behind him, ignoring the playful whimpers he heard as Casey scratched at the doo the whole time he got dressed. He tried not to laugh at Casey's puppy eyes as he opened the door and they made their way to the dojo.

"So, ya gonna tell me if they showed up any at patrol?" Casey asked carefully, but Raph knew it was because the vigilante was hoping he didn't leave them in need of help.

"Nah, and the worst part is that. We got no clue when they're gonna strike, only that Venus said they changed their plans."

"Then we better make these training sessions count, huh?" Casey stopped at the doorway with a fist out as Raph stared at it a long time until a decision was made in his mind as he kissed the human with a smirk.

"Yep." He chuckled, passing by the surprised dark-haired teen. He could feel the stares of his brothers and turned to give each of them a glare. "What ya lookin' at?"

"Nothing!" Mikey chuckled as Don started to whistle and Leo looked the other way, he could feel other eyes as he looked towards April. He was curious what she thought, but she merely smiled his way until Splinter came in to start.

Their father didn't hold back anything during training once he realized they were more of a unit. Raph's eyes had found Leo's more than once, but he was still unsure how to cross that hurdle. April and Don weren't much better than he and Leo, as their eyes kept finding the each other. It was enough to make him gag, and want to knock their heads together to talk. He started to wonder if he and Casey were ever like that.

Beyond that, his mind went next to Dr. Song, and he was more than ready for training to be over, so he could give Don the new info that he hoped would help. The threat over their heads had them all on edge, and once his father ended their training, he was the first one out after his little brother.

"Yo! Donnie!"

"Hm?" His brother paused to look back at him as he made it to his lab and inside where Raph followed. His eyes went everywhere as he took in the sight of the lab, and everything that Don put into it. Stepping over Mecha as the mechanical dog scanned over some of Don's projects for reasons he didn't know, he made his way over to his little brother who was already back to working on an invention.

He moved closer to the machine, wondering what it was until a hand stopped him. "Don't get any closer. It's an age reversal ray that I modified to work on food to solve world hunger." Don lifted his head up from the machine to look at him. "Something's wrong?"

"With the Dr. Song thing…try looking up Renaissance Project."

"Renaissance Project? But how do you…"

"Just trust me…" Raph gave his little brother a look to which he slowly nodded and made his way to his computer. Once again Raph looked at the age reverser, and his curiosity peeked as he moved a finger to it.

"You really shouldn't touch it. If not calibrated right, it could turn you into a kid." Don's voice came up, and Raph looked over, seeing his brother was deep into his research, yet somehow, he still sensed him.

"Can ya teach me that so I can keep Mikey out my room?" Raph's eyes went to the ray again that Donnie was talking about. He had a spooky thought of suddenly being turned into a five-year-old who called April auntie so got even farther from it as he shivered at the thought.

"Wouldn't know how to if I tried." His typing stopped as he looked back at Raph. "The guys coming? I heard Mikey during training mention he wanted to experiment with sour cream and strawberries on pancakes, so I came straight here."

"Then it'll be later since I'm sure Mikey caught Leo."

"What about Casey and April?"

"Casey went home, April school. Ya found something?"

"Only after you told me what to search for, I have to admit the man is a pure genius…he makes Stockman's credentials look like child play."

"And that means?" Raph began to ask as the sound of the lab door swung open to reveal Leo and Mikey coming inside. One look in Leo's blue eyes as he noticed the subtle hand on Leo's stomach and Raph knew the truth, and he smirked, "Good breakfast?" Raph chuckled, ignoring the glare Leo sent his way, it wasn't the best way to start off finally talking to his brother, but it was something.

"You know it was!" Mikey's grin lit up his entire face as he spoke. "It sucks you guys missed it, but I saved you guys some leftovers!" Mikey looked towards him and Don as Raph tried his best not to look fearful of what may be in that kitchen

"Actually…" Don spoke up quickly as he darted his eyes to Raph and looked back at Mikey with a smile, "I got some info on Dr. Song."

"Really?" Leo came over, as Don pulled up more information for them all to view. "You finally found a lead?"

"Thanks to Raph."

"Raph?" Leo's eyes were on him as he shrugged at his older brother.

"Kirai told me more about the turtle girls and gave me a hint on what to look for to find out more about the doctor dude."

"She just told you?" Leo's tone changed, and Raph shrugged, though he swore he heard a hint of jealousy.

"Which helped a lot, since the doctor didn't leave his name anywhere in his files about the project, and I did more searching which came up with several random names all under this project. Different areas at different times, and before all that it's all under a different name of a renown geneticist in Japan who graduated with top honors. He was doing things that rival the mutagen as a kid… The man is amazing…"

"So, he's a brainiac…." Raph looked at one file from the other, his eyes looking over the words kappa and beast, remembering it from Karai.

"And this Project Renaissance involved him and the Shredder?" Leo looked over at Don who nodded.

"It didn't just involve the Shredder. He funded it and supplied the supplies amongst other things. At first, it was just something to heal his trainees, but then he wanted an indispensable army from what I'm reading. It looks like at some point…he got paranoid and thought something or someone was going to come for him."

"But how does that help Song?" Leo turned to their brother, and Raph tried to understand it all as well.

"A geneticist who can change your body with a few drugs but without the horrible parts of mutagen. Song wants a name for himself, but I don't think at the end of the day he's sharing." Another file was pulled up as Don read over data and sighed as he looked at all of them again "According to this Venus was experimented on, and her blood replicated to be used on three other turtles found to be of close genealogy. And this is only a fraction of what he's done."

"I feel bad for them." Mikey frowned, as Raph stared at his baby brother.

"Bad for them? They want to kill us or run us out the city!"

"But it's not like they want to!"

"Still!" Raph yelled back.

"He has a point, Raph…Even you said the girls mentioned not having a choice. You also mentioned that Venus looked like she didn't want to kill you. They're just being watched, so the new question is who are they really working for…Shredder or Song?"

"Does it matter? Either way, we need to take them out the picture. Get rid of them, and either way the trump card is gone."

"And then what? We tell Karai we killed her sisters when we could have given them another option?"

"But even our sister knows this is too far gone, Leo! Mercy, ain't the answer here!"

"Sister? She's sister to you now?" Leo narrowed his eyes at him, and Raph was sure it was jealousy now. "What happened to not trusting her?"

"I STILL don't. Ain't ya just hear me. She's STILL dangerous! One good night an' we ain't makin bracelets!"

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Leo's eyes widened, and Raph was starting to get an idea of where Leo's mind was going. "What were you doing with Kirai?"

"We were just talkin'!" Raph yelled back, "And if you think I want ya damn girlfriend, Leo. Ya nuts!"

"I don't think you want her, but why did she talk to you and not me!"

Raph went quiet, as he watched Leo look away. Don's mouth gaped, and the lab was silent as time went on with no sure way in Raph's mind how to fix this. It wasn't up to him to fix things between his brother and his girlfriend, and he tried to think to why Karai opened up to him instead of Leo first.

"I can't take it anymore!"

The sudden yell made Raph jump as it cut through the silence and they all stared at Mikey. The youngest terrapin had his arms crossed as he looked between the two of them.

"Uh, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Mikey looked at Raph, repeating the line as the orange masked turtle threw his hands up in frustration. "And you guys say I'm the dumb one!"

"Mikey..." Raph's eyes narrowed at the insult, but Mikey surprisingly didn't look like he was going to back down.

"Mikey no one thinks you're the dumb one." Leo sighed.

"That's not the point. We're supposed to be family! And family doesn't do ...do…." Mikey waved his hands in the air more, as if trying to grasp the words. "Whatever this is! As an old guy once said bros before hos. So, make up already!" He glared, turning on his heel and leaving all of them staring after him.

"I'm uh…going to check his temperature." Don stood up, looking back at him and Leo once more until finally going out, leaving the two of them alone.

Raph was still staring after Mikey, unsure of what just happened as he looked at Leo a moment, and soon burst out laughing. Before long, he could hear Leo's guffaws joining in, as they both found it hard to stop.

"Did he really just…" Leo looked towards the door again, holding his sides as his eyes started to water and Raph nodded.

"Yeah, he did."

"Did you teach him that? Where did he even get that from?" Leo shook his head, looking at Raph for a clue but he quickly shook his.

"I ain't got nothing to do with that." He continued laughing, though his sides were starting to hurt.

"I don't know what part to correct him on first…," Leo smirked at Raph.

"The beginning?" Raph chuckled still, holding his sides as Leo laughed, landing on the floor. It was hard to try to contain it as he took deep breaths and held out a hand to his older brother as Leo took it to stand. They looked at one another, as Raph let out a sigh, "Look Leo with Kirai…"

"I can get why she'd come to you."

"Ya do?" Raph looked at him confused, not understanding the whole thing in the slightest. "Because…I don't."

"It's what Master Splinter says, sometimes we need different perspectives, and sometimes we need a mirror. You and Karai are a lot alike" Leo looked down as he leaned on the wall. "I wouldn't have had a clue what to say to her…"

"I think ya wrong there…" Raph saw Leo look up as he moved to the wall beside his brother. "Ya always know what to say, in fact, its…annoying. And though I don't say it enough…I'm glad ya say it."

Leo grinned, and Raph rolled his eyes playfully as he felt the hug, "Thanks, Raph."

"Yeah, yeah. And you was right. I do move a lot without thinkin'. I just…"

"Instinct's not always a bad thing, sometimes…I think I don't trust my gut enough like you do."

"Then I guess it's good we got each other then," Raph smirked. "But don't think for a moment, I trust serpent girl completely."

"I get it, and you need to talk to Mona…"

"Yeah…" Raph rubbed the back of his head a moment feeling guilt hit him. "I am…and about you and Karai. I think it's weird as hell…but if that's what ya want…" He trailed off and looked at Leo with a shrug.

"That means a lot, so about this mission…I think I know where the girls are."

"Leo, if ya wrong…"

"We'll be surrounded…and this city's going to burn."


	29. Don is a Blocker

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT , all previou warnings apply and there is only one more chapter of this story left!**

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The morning that followed, Raph wasn't surprised about the arms around him this time, but as his eyes laid on that communication orb, he felt guilt seep in. Leo had got them all together after dinner, telling them all to have a good rest and he 'd tell his plan in the morning. Don was pulled to the side, but Raph didn't make a huge issue of it. He was sure it was about the plan, but he was lost to what his brother was planning to tell them this morning.

Casey's arms tightened around him, as though the teen knew he needed it even though he was sure the dark-haired vigilante was sleeping. Raph was between letting him sleep or not, with it being the weekend he wasn't sure if Casey needed to hurry to his little sister Izzy faster or not.

"Whatever it is you're thinking so hard about, stop." Casey's chuckle surprised him as he looked at the teen giving him his signature gap grin. "Unless you want something else?"

Raph snorted, nearly pushing the other teen out of bed at his wiggling brows, "And just when I was worried about ya ass."

"For what?" Casey's brow rose as Raph let out a breath, it was always hard to broach this subject with his boyfriend. Plenty of times he'd know exactly what was done to Casey, but he'd never outright say it.

He chewed his lip, feeling Casey's eyes on him. "About ya sister…with ya dad." He could feel the other teen stiffen and nearly retracted his words but decided against it. "You know I'm here for ya, and my room's always open. I just, I know with Izzy it has to be harder…worrying if today might be the day he snaps and does something to her."

"Yeah…" Casey slowly relaxed, getting up from the bed so silently that Raph feared maybe he went too far in bringing it up until Casey continued. "She's with Angel right now. She's a good friend, really good with how much I take her over there. But…"

"She's over there now?" Raph asked as Casey gave a slow nod. "Ya could bring her here." He saw Casey' surprise and didn't blame him, it wasn't like he was thinking this through, but he couldn't see the harm in it. "Mikey would love Izzy, and it would keep him outta Don's lab as much, maybe. Leo gets someone he can try and order around, and dad really likes kids."

"What about Irma and Karai? Don't they live here now?"

"Karai is barely here bro, pretty sure it would drive Leo crazy if she didn't stay in his room…not to mention dad. And she's not all bad."

"Damn, she really did get on ya good side," Casey smirked, earning a middle finger from Raph. "It's not a bad thing though, I mean sooner or later ya'll either have to be cool with each other just to keep the peace."

"True…"

"And Irma?" Casey repeated the question, and Raph couldn't blame him as he thought about it. Irma was still a mystery to him, a mystery of a time bomb though she proved to be fine in the kitchen, or Mikey's room. Don had stopped the sedatives to keep her calm in the lab, claiming he didn't want her dependent on them. For the most part, though she avoided all of them except Mikey and April, being near a ghost in the lair.

"Pretty sure she won't go near Izzy. It took her awhile just to be comfortable enough to go to different sections of the house from what Mikey told us one day. She does some weird shit sometimes. She did it one time at breakfast, just holding a spoon in her hand and started crying as she shoveled it all into her mouth."

"Okay….?"

"Yeah, I don't get it either. Don said it was because she remembered something…" Raph sighed, thinking back to the scene." and from what he says anything can be a trigger. Even a smell."

"I don't know…" Casey moved a hand through his hair and started to pace. "If something happens to Izzy…"

"It won't." Raph kept his voice firm and watched Casey slowly nod. "Ya gonna go and get her?"

"Yeah, I just gotta pick her up from Angel's." Casey grabbed his shoes, putting them on and going for the door but paused, making Raph's brow ridge rise. Casey turned coming closer, and Raph tilted his head.

"Forgot somethin', bonehea-" A kiss stopped the words in their tracks, Casey's tongue touching his as it slipped into his mouth and Raph grabbed hold of the other teen wanting him closer. The kiss turned rough and passionate, their tongues battling for dominance as one tried to get over the other until Casey pulled away leaving them both breathless. "Damn…"

"Fo'real." Casey's fingers went to his cheek, and his eyes traced over Raph, burning his skin. "I need to go, or I ain't ever leaving." Casey chuckled huskily with his mouth close to Raph's ear hole as the red-masked turtle tried to think of a rebuttal, but his brain had left as Casey's whispered in his ear, his breath making him shiver. "Unless ya want me to stay a bit longer…"

It was tempting, very tempting. Raph could feel the kiss close to the hole of his ear and a hand to his thigh. Casey could easily have him done in right now. Raph knew all he had to say was the word as that hand traveled closer and after his boyfriend's declaration, he felt more than ready to reveal himself and let things happen.

"I wan-"

"Raph," The sound of the door opening had him jump as Casey pulled back, "Leo says to be ready to talk in about an hour, before prac…tice…" Don stared at the both of them as his eyes went from Casey back to him, "I'm just…going to go…"

"Ya do that…" It came out a growl more than he meant as Raph watched his brother scurry away and glanced to see Casey shooting his own glare after the tallest turtle. "Hurry back." Raph looked over at Casey, wanting to finish what they were about to start as the other teen winked at him and took off out the door.

Once he was gone, Raph took a long breath, trying to steady his own raging hormones as his eyes went to the communication orb. The sight of it was a douse of icy water as he realized what he planned to do while still with someone else. "Damn it…" He rubbed the back of his neck, getting up and grabbing the thing as he wondered just how much Mona tried to call after he shelved it.

His fingers moved over it, as he thought back to the instructions of how to use it and sent out a call, almost hoping she was busy. It continued to go unanswered, and he let out a sigh, going to turn it off until Mona's face appeared.

"Raphael?" He blinked, she was as gorgeous as he remembered, and he realized this would be harder when than he thought. He loved Casey, but he cared about Mona still, maybe not the same as before, but she was still important. "Raphael?" She repeated herself, and he knew she was staring at him for some type of response.

"Hey…" Her brow ridges furrowed, and he tried to think of a better response but came up with a blank. "I…" He went quiet again, and slowly her expression changed. "I wanted to say…"

"This is goodbye…isn't it?" She looked at him, her head tilting as he slowly nodded. "I thought so."

"But it's not you. It's me…I just…"

"That's an earth phrase, correct? One before what we have, I finished."

"Yeah…I never meant for this to happen. I really wanted us to work but…" He thought to Casey, and couldn't picture being without him. "but none of this is how I pictured I guess. You're smart, beautiful, strong. Any guy would be lucky to have you and…"

"Is it the earth being? Is it him?"

"What?" Raph blinked. "What are you…?" He looked at her longer until his shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry…I am. I…"

"You're not the same guy from before. You've grown some, but I can tell there's someone else."

"I'm sorry…"

"Me too..." She went quiet, and the screen went blank, leaving Raph with his thoughts. Too many emotions swirled inside him, anger at himself for hurting someone who didn't deserve it and then for not just picking Casey earlier to avoid all this. A part of him was angry for not just dealing with the relationship and trying harder to make it work, his grip on the communication orb got tighter around as his eyes closed and he gritted his teeth.

An urge to throw it came over him until a hand went over his making him look over his shoulder at dark eyes peering back at him.

"Case I…"

"Shut up and come on." Casey turned to leave again, as Raph rushed to put on his gear and followed the teen out. He could hear Izzy's giggles along with Mikey's laughter as they left out the lair, going towards the surface. Thoughts of last time hit Raph, and he nearly paused as Casey suddenly turned around as they reached the top, and a hoodie and pants were thrust at him.

They made their way up, going from roof to roof and Raph no longer realized where they were headed. Once they were down, they were at a park Raph didn't even know existed. "Where are we…" His words died in his throat at the sight of a lone grave under the tree. "This ain't a park…"

"Nah, ain't…" He could feel Casey's eyes as he crouched down, his fingers moving over the letters as realization hit him.

"This is…"

"My mom's grave." Casey breathed out, moving towards him crouching down. "I know that had to be hard for ya, and for a sec, I thought about us just hittin' something but…you did some super important shit…" He trailed off, and Raph glanced at him, not recognizing this side to his boyfriend. "Never showed anyone this…" He moved to stand up, going to a hole in the tree as he pulled out a bag and out tumbled a few books as Raph went to grab one.

"Shakespeare?"

"Othello was one of her favorites…mine too." He could see Casey fidget, and he was surprised at the other teen's shyness right now. "I love to read. It ain't that I hate school…it's just. Every time I read a book, even a stupid textbook, I can't help but think of all the times she'd be right there making a story even outta learning multiplication. She was fun…had a bad temper…and when shit gets so bad to where even kicking someone else ass don't help I come here." His eyes went to Raph as he slowly came over, "I read her a story like she did for me. Then…I go to you."

Raph could see him fidget, looking unsure now as he tried to think of what to say and then he remembered this was Casey as he smirked slightly. "No wonder you an' D got along, you're a closet nerd."

"Fuck you." There was a punch to his arm as Casey plopped down and Raph moved closer to him, for a moment it was silent until Casey looked over at him and Raph could see the question in his eyes.

"What's up?"

"Wanna…read with us?" The question was careful, and Raph could see the other teen holding his breath.

"Yeah, would love that." Raph chuckled, hearing Casey release the breath he was holding as he picked out a book to get started. He had never known his boyfriend was such a great storyteller, but he supposed he should have known with how Izzy would beg her big brother for a story every night.

Raph listened to him weave the tale, bringing to life each character with his voice and animated gestures. He could almost imagine the scene playing out, and could almost forget what was hanging over all their heads. As Casey drew the story to a close at the end of one scene, his hand went upwards, seeing the sun as it touched his skin.

"Ya ready?"

Raph looked back; he had barely noticed Casey had got up now as he nodded his head while standing up. "Yeah." He went ahead and let Casey take off first, letting the sun touch him a bit more before going after him.

The moment they entered the lair, his brothers and April were gathered as Mikey quickly let Casey know Izzy was with Splinter. Leo's eyes were on him; his mouth opened to say something and Raph could already hear the lecture for going outside in the daylight coming.

"Glad you took precautions this time."

Raph stared at him in surprise. "Yeah…" _Maybe all of us growin…changin'…_ He and Casey both sat down on the couch, next to each other. Mikey was in his spot, with April and Don sitting elsewhere as Leo stood.

"Okay, so I talked to Don last night," Leo looked at each of them, "We've gone through a number of places of where the girls might be hiding and living, and most likely we'll find Song there."

"And the Elite guard?" Raph looked over at his brother as Leo nodded to Don, his younger brother's fingers went over his watch as a projection of the blueprints of a familiar warehouse came up. He could see four red dots close to the entrance. "Let me guess. They're guarding the place."

"From what Karai says, yes."

"Karai?" Raph repeated.

"What did you think I was doing last night?" Karai entered the room with a smirk as Raph rolled his eyes at her entrance. "From what my team gathered, Leo was right about them being in the warehouse."

"Wait…" Raph squinted, thinking farther back. "That's the same building I saw Irma near…"

"Probably because she escaped from the place…" Don pulled up more screens for them to look at, "I thought more about her appearance when we first got her, she was badly hurt, and Karai denies she put a hand on her. At first, I thought it was just her denying it." Don pointed out as Karai rolled her eyes, "But I had taken recordings of the markings, the bruises on her were done by a man. And from how old they were, it wasn't Karai and her people. Then I looked through some more files. There's some on a brown-haired girl who was once a prisoner of them."

"But then, how she'd get from the Song guy from the pink alien brain things?" Mikey scratched his head.

"Most likely the same thing as me, a person who was around them as a prisoner and was used for their experiments…" Karai sat down, crossing her legs. "You'd expect them to know more about mutagen and from how happy Stockman would get about the stuff, it's a geneticist dream."

"Especially a mad scientist one who wants a monster." Don sighed. "The place is supposedly an abandoned lab. It was bought out by an unknown buyer but then closed its doors to the public. They most likely held Irma there, a place for Song to continue his experiments close to his master while also keeping up with his experiments in Japan on the girls."

Raph shook his head at everything he heard, though it wasn't hard to believe it was insane. "Still ain't hearin' a plan."

"Simple, Karai and her people are going to take the front while we sneak in close to the where we believe the girls are located. Maybe if we can get to them in time, and talk…" Leo's eyes went to Karai for a moment. "We can at least save the girls."

"And if they don't listen?" Raph looked at April as she said it, though he was thinking the same thing, he knew why Leo hadn't. Karai looked away quickly, making her way out the door.

"Karai…" Leo went after her quickly, grabbing her arm. "We're going to do everything we can to save them."

"I know…" She looked back at him, though her eyes were sad, "but promise me, if it comes down to you and them." She leaned in, brushing her lips against his. "Choose you." She looked back at all of them, before leaving out the lair as Leo stood there.

Raph was a bit scared of what his brother may do; he could see it weighing on him, the decision within itself. He turned from the entrance coming back to them with steel in his eyes, though Raph could see the mask. The one of a leader. They all watched him; his eyes went to the blueprint once more and back to them.

"If talking doesn't work, we take them out and destroy what files and anything we can. Shredder nor Song needs the advantage. We can't let either win. It's not an option."

"So, Shredder is back?" Mikey's question hung in the air as he looked at Leo.

"I don't know, but right now our biggest issue is Song and the girls." Leo looked at each of them, "We leave soon as it's dark, be ready." Leo didn't stop long to hear them agree, moving out the main room and towards where Splinter was. Each of them was quiet, and Raph felt a hand brush against him as his eyes went to Casey. He watched the growing smirk as he returned it, their hands lifting into a fist bump to each other.

 _We got this…_ He couldn't help but grin, but it shrunk at the look on Mikey's face. His baby brother's quiet moments always seemed wrong, but they could all feel the unease in the room. _We mess this up…then what…_

"Hi, guys!"

The sudden cheery voice had Raph snap his head to see Irma in some frilly apron with food in her hands trying to balance it. He wasn't used to seeing the girl come out like this or much at all since Irma usually avoided them. _So why now?_ The sight left him at a loss for words but a glance at Mikey, he could see the smile that was starting. He suddenly understood what Irma was doing and saw how she was coming out her comfort zone for the youngest turtle.

"Mia!" Mikey's grin had gotten wider, and he went over to twirl her around while in a hug that had both of them laughing.

"Mikey! The food!" She continued to laugh as Mikey put her back on the floor, "Wanna help me with this recipe?"

"Sounds awesome, let's go." His hand was in hers before any of them could say a word, with both headed for the kitchen and Raph now fearing for his stomach. He had a bad feeling Mikey was going to be inventive.

"It's good Irma got Mikey to feel better,"

"Yeah, but if we all die from dinner, Then what?" Raph smirked over at April, who let out a laugh until her eyes landed on Don. He could hear the start of a video game as he glanced at Casey and saw his boyfriend had started it up. "And ya know what, maybe you and Don should talk."

"What?" His brother blinked, looking up from his studying of the blueprint as April blinked at him. "But we? What do we even talk about?"

"Figure it out, brainiac."

"No, Raph, if he doesn't it's okay. I get it, I messed up things and now…" April looked away, and Don let out a sigh.

"No, Raph's right." Don breathed out, and Raph grabbed Casey for them to leave.

"But I just started!"

"It's fine, Casey. You two can stay." Don looked at them then back at April. "I still like you. I like you a lot in fact. But I keep thinking how it took all this for you to give me a chance and that hurts."

"Donnie, I'm so so sor-"

Don quickly let up a hand, "Let me finish." He moved over near her and took her hands, "I want to try, I do because I do want to know if we could have been something or not. I don't want to have that question in my head forever. Just…are you fine with going slow?"

"Yes." April smiled back, moving to hug Don but stopped herself short of one, taking his hand and squeezing it instead. "Thanks, Donnie."

"Aww, look at the lovebirds Raph. Ain't they cute." Casey cooed, and Raph couldn't help the snicker as the Don and April glared at them both.

"Yeah, they are kinda. Took them what? Only forever?" Raph laughed.

"Remember when I said you both can stay?"

"Yeah?" Raph smirked at Don.

"I changed my mind!" Don stood up pointing at them both and towards the hallway. "GO AWAY!"

"Damn, we going now," Raph couldn't help as more laughter escaped and he made his way out, hearing Casey's footsteps behind him.

"And this is why I never get done with my games."

"Ain't my fault Donnie was nerd raging" Raph snickered until his shell hit the wall and Casey kissed him roughly, reminding him of what they started earlier. He pulled the teen closer, feeling Casey grind back against him.

"And can you two get a room!" Don screamed out, making both teens groan as they pulled away. The urge to hit his younger brother came over him in a rush as the back of his head hit the door.

"Case?"

"Yeah?"

"Still wanna live together?"

"Yeah, but that ain't gonna solve our problem" Casey laughed.

"Why…?"

"Cuz Izzy worse than little brothers."


	30. The Finale

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. All previous warnings apply.**

 **Author Note: This is my first TMNT multichapter, and technically my first TMNT story. This was also where I really got into writing and set myself to finish what I started. With this story I was so excited at first to get it out, and then came reviews where people couldn't even get past the first chapter or it just seemed no one liked it. Since then I kept trying, kept writing, asked for criticism and more. Then came points where I was sure no one was reading it, so why bother writing it. But then I had one constant person who would review and talk to me, and it was a great motivator to continue.**

 **So even though this story may be horrible lol. I'm proud of it since I did finish and I feel like I've improved a lot since I first started writing. To those who followed the story thank you, and to those who did review thank you, for those criticisms also thank you.**

 **Now without further ado, the last chapter of Just A Story. Please enjoy!**

* * *

It was warmer the day they decided it was time, way warmer than the last time they all had met up with those turtle girls. After Leo had announced his plan, they had all stuck to their training more, learning from each other better than before. Hockey season was over, and the holidays had passed, it was interesting with Casey and his little sister Izzy there. Raph had at first feared that every time Casey would go to school, his father would drag him back, but so far nothing. It was honestly the best thing he could have done for his son, beyond being a better father, as Casey and his sister stayed in the sewer and his boyfriend found his place in the lair.

Casey had taken up restoring old vehicles with the help of Don, then selling them to make money on the side to get things they needed. It turned out to be a great partnership, especially when Christmas came and Raph learned to fear standing between Izzy and her Christmas presents. A new year came, and though they felt ready, the cold wouldn't allow it. It let them enjoy more of the holidays and Raph would never forget being bundled up with his boyfriend, watching the fireworks light up the sky.

Irma would appear around the lair more, though Raph was starting to understand the signs more and all of them tried to help her through it. Training had seemed to help her a lot; Master Splinter put it down to her having more confidence in defending herself. Her and April would train together, and Don would oversee it for medical reasons though Raph felt part of the reason was an excuse for Don to spend more time with April. Their relationship was rocky still, and everyone could tell.

It was almost easy to pretend that as they got ready tonight. They could imagine that this was just another patrol or maybe just another day of training, as they stuck Master Splinter with Izzy. The moon shined on them, and they all moved quietly, Raph was proud as Casey kept his moments precise enough not to make a sound.

They were drawing closer to the building after speeding across the rooftops of the city, and Leo's eyes went to them as a hand went up gesturing them to stop. As Raph saw shadows start to move closer below, he knew it was Karai and her clan, and he tried to stop that feeling from creeping up at the thought of having to rely on Karai. They'd gotten closer, but he had too many lessons in betrayal.

 _But ain't like we gotta choice…_

Raph crouched down, feeling fingers that brushed over his in deep familiarity as he glanced at Casey, their hands intertwining a moment as he watched on. The wait was agony, time seemed to stop, and not even Mikey was making a peep as that building in front of them stood ominously.

Nothing to tell them what was going on, nothing to do but wait for a signal unless time ran out and they'd go in any way. It wasn't lost on Raph, as he saw tonight how Karai and Leo hugged each other, clutching each other tightly as though a fleeting memory until she left to go ahead of them. Her team would be going against the Elite guard, and not everyone would be coming back.

Time was passing and still nothing, Raph could see the slight slump of his brother's shoulders as his adam's apple bobbed. He had no clue what to say right now to Leo.

Don had moved closer, his hand touching over their older brother's shoulder. "Leo…"

"It's time." He started moving, leaving the words hung in the air, and Raph couldn't blame him. He wouldn't want to face it if it was Casey.

Getting in was the easy part, Don had outdone himself with the security and studying it beforehand, leaving them with that slight advantage of surprise that Raph hoped was still an option. The halls were quiet as they moved through them, he couldn't hear fighting, and there was no sign of anyone as Raph hoped for Leo's sake that it was only because of the distance of floors.

They already knew where they were heading; this floor wouldn't be guarded and housed the girls, they wouldn't expect anyone to get past the Elite. They stepped into a lit-up hallway, Leo glancing back at them as he made gestures, signaling them to stay alert as they came to a door.

"Don?"

Don moved quickly, moving from April to the door as he got to work unlocking it. Raph saw the red head's eyes light up at the size of the lab and some of the papers on the wall. "I'm on it."

Raph was fidgeting, wanting to break down the door, but controlled himself knowing his time would come soon as he shifted in place. The sound of a click, hit his ears as Leo opened the door and gestured for them to all take position as they entered a large lab area and Raph was even surprised at what was here.

It was something out of a horror movie as he saw the splotches of blood on different tables and cut up parts, different cells were lined up on the wall each separated only by beams that Raph was sure were electric or worse. Different pieces of equipment were on counters, with tubes of varying sizes in different areas. Some were large enough to house something, and some actually did as Raph pressed a hand on one tube.

It's fish-like tail swayed in the goo it was in as he saw the scars and stitches on its midsection at the waistline and more on its back where wings lay flat.

"This is horrible…" Don's voice was a whisper, his brother's mouth gaped as he looked from one "monster" to another. Mikey drew close to one, only for April to pull him back quickly as it snarled, lunging until its eyes seemed to water with tears as it looked to them.

Even Leo had no words to say; they hadn't been prepared for a sight like this.

"We can't leave 'em here." Casey was close to yelling and Raph could hear it in his boyfriend's tone, the dark-haired teen was taking this abuse personally. "He's killin' them. All of 'em!"

"There's nothing we can do…" Leo looked over at Casey, and Raph could see the hidden defeat in his older brother's eyes even as he turned to the tallest turtle. "Don go ahead and get to work on the files."

"What do ya mean there's nothin' we can do!" Casey looked at each of them. "You're really leaving 'em? To this? We can do something!" He was breathing heavy and looked at Mikey though even the youngest turtle said nothing as he looked away.

Raph grabbed Casey's hand, trying to calm him only for him to snatch away as he pulled at the strands of his dark hair. It hurt watching him, Raph could only imagine what memories were taunting him as he drew close again. His hand went to his boyfriend's shoulder, feeling his stiffen then slowly relax.

"Where would they go, Case? Yeah, we live in a sewer and make it work. Mutanimals? They supposed to take in a bunch of mutants that's basically a bunch of Irmas and look even worse off? What would they even do, Case?" Raph almost felt bad seeing the fight leave him, but he needed Casey to face it. "Even Mikey knows this…he's had to deal with Irma the most. Ya hearing me?"

"Yeah…guess everyone can't be lucky and have a turtle boyfriend to save 'em…"

"Case…"

"I get it." He turned around to face him, and Raph let out a sigh. "I do, it sucks, but I do. Feels…wrong."

"Yeah, does." Raph looked towards another tube, swallowing hard as his eyes spotted something more deranged nearby. A pile in the corner with only sheets covering them, he prayed Casey wouldn't see it.

"April, can you help me with this." Don looked back at her as she went to join him, both their finger moving over keyboards. "Maybe this won't be as bad as we thought, so far, no girls and um…" Don had looked back, catching sight of Leo and the rest of the room, before looking back at the screen as he went back to typing.

"Yeah, easy…" Mikey mumbled it, no longer looking around the room as his eyes stayed on each of them. Raph couldn't blame him for it, not wanting to see any more of the room himself.

"Can we just get up outta here?" He had accidentally caught sight of a creature that was bug-like yet close to human; it sent shivers through him.

"We almost got it." Raph heard Don shout out, and felt Casey close to him now as they all stuck closer together. The place was a house of horrors.

"And done." Don high-fived April as they made their way back, "Now let's get out of he-"

"But you just got here." The sound of a door opening and seeing Venus stepping out, had each of them get into their stances. Raph opened his mouth to say something until he caught sight of purple in her hand that nearly had him heave.

Leo was stiff; his own mouth gaped as Venus throw the snake-like arm between them as though it was trash. Raph could see his brother's form shaking, his body trembling as all of them stared. As close as he was to Leo, he heard the snapping of his brothers' teeth as he started to grind them together, and his chest heaved.

"You…" It came out a growl, cold and venomous, and Raph was as surprised as the rest of them to see it was from Leo. "That was your sister!"

"I told her next we meet, there would be no such thing. And I meant it. Did you all seriously think you could waltz in here, do as you please and leave?"

"We didn't want to fight you…"

"Yet you all come in armed to the teeth and attack our guards?" Venus's brow ridge rose at them as she stepped closer and Raph was barely keeping steady as his anger boiled over. He stared at Venus's work, his grip tightening over his sai as he looked back at the turtle girl's leader. "We gave you a warning. You didn't heed it. Instead yo-"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Leo yelled, and Raph could see the tears now streaming from his brother's eyes, "You just killed your own sister! Over what? A guy that does things like this?" Leo quickly gestured around to the room, "Yo-"

"And you don't understand!" Venus was yelling back now. "I told her! I told you all to go! I…"

"Is there a problem?" Raph glanced over surprised at the new voice as he watched a man come from the shadows, and a chill went over him as he looked into the man's eyes. He soon placed the man to the man in the pictures of Nagisa Song. Raph watched the man nudge up his glasses, and his eyes went to Venus. "Finish them, now."

"Right…" Venus went quiet, readying herself.

"Uh, not to hurt ya feelings four-eyes but there's more of us than her. An-" Raph blinked as suddenly Venus moved like the wind itself, landing a kick on Casey that launched him into a wall. Casey was slow to get up as they all looked in surprise.

"What the hell? How did she get through?" Raph charged forward, as his brothers did as they worked to keep up with Venus. She was nothing like before as they tried to take her out, more times than Raph liked he had to dodge her katana, each coming too close to his liking. One had sliced his arm good as she did a fan attack, infuriating Raph further at his inability to hit her.

"As you can see…" The doctor's voice was as cold and calculating as his eyes, and Raph growled in frustration as he dodged another blow that came his way, but not all of them were so lucky. "I boosted her a bit."

"What?" Raph looked confused until he got a good look at Venus as she continued her onslaught on them. Her skin was littered with bruises, ones from injections and her plastron looked cracked badly along with her shell. Bandages covered her feet and arms, and Raph finally noticed the blood staining them. _This fight is killin her…_ He dodged again, pairing up with Leo and Casey as Venus's chest heaved.

"Remember your sisters, Venus."

Venus nodded to Song, her eyes narrowing as they went white and she rushed them again, over time her movements were growing sloppy, and Mikey managed to match her speed, hitting her as they each joined in. She was still fast, but Raph could see her tiring and saw the nod from Leo as he let his rage take over and soon he was on her.

All he saw was red as he let the image of Casey's body flying overtake him. He saw his brothers, the suffering they went through as they got to this point and every punch he sent to her gave him satisfaction. Then there was Karai, that teasing laugh echoed in his head until he pulled out his sai lifting it high.

"Raph!" A hand grabbed his, stopping him and nearly turned on them until reminding himself to breathe and his eyes went to April. Her hands on his arm and he looked down at a now battered Venus; he doubted she even had the strength to go into her shell. "She's down. We're not them."

He continued to look down at her, knowing he could do it if he wanted to. Before a lot of this happened he wouldn't have heard April at all. Then he'd be left to feel horrible later once It was too late. Gritting his teeth, he stood up, sending a glare to both Song and Venus. "Where ya other sisters?"

"Pity" Song sighed though from him it sounded indifferent ignoring Raph's question as he looked over at Venus and turned away. "A waste of time." He started to walk away, and Raph moved to follow until a loud scream had them all pause.

"No! Please!" Venus was crying out, and they all looked at each other as Don made his way to her first. "No, you have to stop him! He's going to kill them!"

"Like you killed Karai?" Leo bit back, but she shook her head immediately.

"She's not dead…"

"What?"

"He knew you would be coming. He was just waiting for it. You have to hurry! He has all of my sisters." Venus pleaded. "Please. He gave me that arm. He told me he'd kill all my sisters including Karai. You have to hurry."

"Why should we trust you? You just tried to kill us, and if he kills the rest of your team, then he'll have to start over anyway since we took care of his files." Leo glared, but Venus only started to laugh, one that sounded wrong.

"You really think killing us will stop him? You really think deleting a few files from here will?" Venus continued to laugh, her head bowing as she sat up and she went quiet. "You see everything he did here? His toys…his little projects...he makes those aliens work look like a day in the park. So, go ahead…keep believing this will stop him. You know, you should look around more…" Venus sounded strange, her head tilting unnaturally as she looked at them. "It is your future." Her voice drove a shiver down Raph's spine, as he tried to ignore it.

"She's not lying…" April spoke up, and they looked at Venus as she bowed her head once more. There was a dead look in her eyes that matched many of the creatures here.

"Keep an eye on her. "Leo looked to April and Casey as both nodded, and Raph glanced at his boyfriend unsure as his brothers took off.

"Go ahead. We got it." Casey gave his signature smirk, and Raph gave a slow nod, inching in to kiss his boyfriend in case it might be the last, only for Casey to stop him. It confused him as he watched the other teen shake his head. "Hell no, this ain't a corny romance novel or fanfiction. Go already an' kick his ass."

Raph smirked, pulling away as he took off to catch up with his brothers.

"What took you so long?" Leo sounded out of breath as they raced up a stairwell.

"Probably giving Casey a goodbye kiss," Mikey snickered as Raph socked his brother in the arm with his good one. He heard an ouch that didn't sound like Mikey's usual one as he stopped, and his eyes widened in horror at what he just noticed.

"Mikey?"

"I'm fine." The youngest turtle gave a look, fixing more bandages around that arm as they ran but Raph felt more worried as he gave each of his brothers a good look. As bad off as Venus was, she had got each of them good, and the fight was nowhere near over as they raced up.

"Don, you're sure he went this way?"

"Very," Don's goggles were over his eyes as he led them up, going in front as he kneeled in front of a door. "Give me a sec with this door."

"We may not have a sec, Donnie!" Raph couldn't help the yell, not wanting his brothers to be the first ones in there as he planned to take the brunt of whatever attack he could. The moment he heard the door unlocked he rushed through, clotheslining two guards in front as he maneuvered in the nearly dark room.

More came, and he could see his brother joining in, but at the thought of their injuries, he fought harder, trying to ignore the pain in his arm as he felt flesh tear more with each movement.

"Raph!"

He turned quickly, seeing the guard he recently took out come at him as he went low, side sweeping them, and stomped down hard on their gut as he growled. "And stay down!"

"Aww man, I always wanted to say that." Mikey pouted, and Raph actually felt good knowing his brother still had humor in him.

"Raph, you could have got yourself killed," Leo whispered out in as much as a yell as he could, as they all started slowly moving through the room. "It's too quiet in here, and I don't see Song, Don."

"He's here…I don't understand how…"

"Woah…guys?" Mikey's finger pointed, and they all looked over at glass containers against a wall, each housing a turtle girl and the last had Karai with one missing arm. Wires were connected to each of them, but Raph couldn't tell from which one.

"It's them" Leo moved closer his hand touching Karai's container, "and Karai…"

"They appear to be in some form of stasis." Don moved to look over a few machines, tapping his finger over the goggles. "But I can't tell which is the right one to get them out."

"Just try all of 'em." Raph kept looking around, remembering how the doctor seemingly appeared from nowhere last time.

"Sure, that's a great idea if I want to kill them instantly" Don muttered. "Not to mention a shock to their system and whatever else…"

"Just do your best, Don" Leo breathed out, looking over at the tallest turtle as he gave a nod and breathed out slowly.

"No pressure, D!" Mikey slid over to him. "You just gotta not kill four people and mess up Leo's whole reunion." Mikey shrugged as Don sent him a glare.

"Thanks, Mikey, for pointing that out. It would be easier if I could see…"

"Maybe this will help…" Soon the lights were on, and Raph glared as the doctor stood nearby. "So, you're the turtles that gave my master such a tough time? Interesting…"

"I'll show ya interestin'..." Raph glared, going to lunge until he was pulled back and he looked back at his younger brother. "Don, what gives?"

"Look!" Don's finger pointed out, and Raph barely noticed the slight glimmer. "He's not alone..."

"Song, we know what you're up to." Leo step forward and the scientist let out a small chuckle.

"You say it, but I doubt it. Nonetheless, I've been rude…" He gave a smile that had Raph on edge. "Especially after you've been so nice to test out my subjects for me."

"You were using them? This…was nothing but test?" Don frowned. "You used them to test your hypothesis…this is nothing but another science experiment."

"Quite so." Song let out a sigh. "And it would seem I need to make some adjustments. Perhaps since I can make my own mutagen, we'll see what happens. Hm?"

"There's no way you can make your own mutagen." Don shook his head. "Not even you."

"Maybe not, without that girl. She was experimented on so much to the point she picked up special properties. But this…" His eyes fell on Karai. "This even better, and letting the girl escape so she can follow her proved a clever idea. And now that I have her blood, things will prove more interesting especially with her ability to shift from one form to another."

"You're using them to help out the Shredder with the mutagen," Leo stared, and Song turned to leave. "You helped bring him back…You're making an army of super mutants…"

"It was a pleasure turtles." He waved them off, heading for the exit as Raph charged this time, his brothers unable to keep him back until he felt a kick to his midsection and was sent to ground.

"Damn it…" He growled standing back up as he tried to get a feel. "He's getting away! We need t-"

"KARAI!"

"Huh?" Raph looked back, running back over as he saw a gas fill up the tank and could even see it start to surround them.

"It's an antimutagen gas! We need to get out and get them out of here!"

"But what about Song?" Raph yelled back, as he could see Leo's brain trying to work out a strategy.

"If we pass through that gas, we're dead!" Leo yelled back, and the two brothers faced off as Raph warred with himself. "We can't go that way, we need another route, and we can't leave them to die either. Do you really want to fight my orders right now?" He breathed out, pulling out his anti-mutagen mask over his face as Raph did the same, shaking his head.

"Don, can ya get them out?" He looked over at his other brother as he pulled over his own mask.

"Soon even the masks won't matter, and I'm not sure if they even have any, not to mention within the tank it's more congested…" Don rambled, his fingers working over the keys until he let out a frustrated grunt, grabbing hold of his bo staff, and hitting the glass as hard as possible as they all ducked from the swing.

They all moved as glass shattered and he thought through all the risks that could have been that Don himself had numbered off. "Really, Donnie?"

"I decided to take a page from your book, and either way they'd die." Don grabbed hold of Talena as they each grabbed hold of a girl. "This way." Don moved quickly as they each followed and Raph prayed Casey and April were okay. His eyes were starting to water, and he felt like he was choking as time went on.

"Just a bit farther!"

He could barely hear Don's yell, shifting Amoly on his back as he pushed his legs forward. He focused on Leo's shouts to stay together and keep moving, as they ran down another hallway to a door. Everything hurt, and he prayed the door was open as the voices all became jumbled as Don opened the door and they rushed out.

He heaved, falling to his knees, throwing off the mask as he tried to get air in his lungs that seem only to hurt as he breathed in. He felt slow to focus, as he stood, hearing the voices slowly get back to normal as arms engulfed him suddenly.

"Casey?"

"I say kick ass, and next I see ya you look like a droolin' zombie taking they last breath." Casey pulled back smirking, though Raph could see the worry in his eyes and he glanced over seeing Venus limping towards them. Her eyes fell on each of her sisters, including Karai.

They still didn't move, and soon Venus stopped in her tracks, as she let out a ragged breath. "I…I didn't…"

"They're still alive," Don spoke up, taking out an antidote for them. "They just took in a lot more inside those tanks, and we had to find a route to escape since Song blocked all the exits."

"Wait, but that means…" Venus limped to the edge of the building as they all silently watched, and they could see the small wafts of the gas coming out. "Everyone else in there…" They each slowly watched coming closer to the ledge, and Raph glanced to see April's hand on Venus's shoulder.

"We were like family in there…all of us…"

"More reason for you to help us with what's coming." Leo carefully laid down Karai as her breathing stopped sounding shallow and he came closer to Venus. "You knew what was coming. You knew that he was making some kind of super mutagen not just to make beasts…but for the Shredder too." Leo kept speaking as Venus looked away and he took her hand. "You also knew you used to be one of us. It's why you gave us the warning."

"I've seen what Dr. Song can do…this is nothing." She snatched away her hand as she looked out at the city with an ugly sneer. "Shredder? More like Super Shredder."

"But you can help us, Venus. We can be like a family again." He reached out again, and she looked back at him, "We've defeated Shredder before, this time won't be any different."

"And I can show you my game collection." Mikey gave a grin. "D's super cool and don't worry you'll get used to Raph, just call Casey and he'll get all lovey-dovey." He started to snicker before Raph hit his head.

"Hey!"

"A family…" Venus repeated looking at each of them.

"Yeah, all of us" Leo smiled and quickly added. "…all your sisters included." He looked back, and they saw the girls slowly stood.

"V?" Amoly's voice was smaller than what Raph had grown used to as he watched her go over to Venus sniffling, rubbing her eyes. Venus's arms went around her. Soon Talena and Larota joined in as Karai stood watching holding onto one arm, looking away until the girls pulled her into it.

They all stood there as the girls cried, holding each other tightly as Raph looked at Leo, wondering what would come next. He could hear them starting to quiet, as Karai pulled away from them.

Next, she was in his arms, as he held her tight to him and she kissed him to everyone's surprise. Raph took a deep breath, looking at each of them as he leaned against Casey with his thoughts going rampant. Karai pulled back suddenly, going over to her sisters as her eyes met Leo's.

"Sorry."

"Wait…what?"

The bright flash blinded him as Raph shielded his eyes and next he looked they were gone. "But…what the hell?" He looked over at Leo; his brother held a paper in his hand. "What's that?"

"It's from Karai…" Leo looked down his eyes scanning the paper a Raph looked over his brother's shoulder.

 _ **Leo,**_

 _ **I already know what you're planning. That once all this is over, we'll all band together against the Shredder to save the day. You are so predictable…I'm not going to come out of this unscathed, we both know that. I've gotten to know you all better, all of you. And I learned one thing most of all. I'm not a hero, and I'm not ready to be one…I can't be what you and dad want. I need to find my own way, and maybe one day we'll see each other again.**_

 _ **Karai**_

Raph looked at his brother, expecting him to be hurt or worse as he looked out over the city.

"Leo, if you want, I can look up their signatures. Based on their injuries and everything sustained, they can't be far. And…"

Leo shook his head, "She'll be back, all of them will…"

"Song is gone, and now we know he's with Shredder." Raph sighed. "And according to Venus, he's packin' this time."

"So…we won?"

"Yes, we won Mikey" Don laughed.

"But what now?" April looked over at Leo as he sighed.

"We do what we always do. We protect this city. For now, we know we at least made his plans harder, and he needs a whole new one. But for now, let's go home. We all need stitches…" Leo looked over at each of them, as Raph watched his brothers and April following after Leo.

"So…still bored?"

Raph looked behind him at Casey and smirked. "Not even close, Jones." He let out a laugh, feeling the aches and pains in his body. "Not even close."

He started moving to catch up, feeling Casey at his side with each jump. Raph knew one day the Shredder and Song would show up, but that wasn't something he had to worry about today.

For that is another story.


End file.
